Knights and Guardians
by bgrdbrn
Summary: The Gotham Knights work together with the guardians of National City. The characters of Batman, Gotham Knights, Martian Manhunter, and Supergirl are owned by DC Comics. The characters and events of Supergirl in this story are taken from the CW tv show, but contain no spoilers...unless you know nothing about the Supergirl tv show.
1. Chapter 1

**Knights and Guardians**

 **Chapter 1**

He was one with the darkness and shadows. His form blended with the walls and rooftops of his city. He was a lonely sentinel standing guard against injustice. When evil waged a war, he was vengeance. When enemies of truth drove for destruction, he was a Dark Knight. Lightning flashed, momentarily bringing light to the darkness, revealing the visage of a being whose name or face caused criminals to run in fear. A scowl seemed to be permanently etched on his face, the only thing visible of his face as his mask covered the rest. Horns seemed to rise from his head, but those were just a facsimile of ears of the creature whose name he had adopted. He was no demon; but neither was he a simple mortal man. He is the Batman.

The city seemed silent lately. That might be an odd and inaccurate description to a visitor. Police sirens wailed and echoed off the walls of the concrete jungle that was Gotham City. The occasional thunder cloud would sound off to accompany the lightning. A slight rain was falling and it would soon become a downpour, but Batman kept his vigil. Discomfort meant nothing to him. He had a job to perform and an oath to keep. The city seemed silent lately to him; his usual consortium of super villains were either locked up or keeping a low profile. That wouldn't last; it never did. His mission tonight was tracking a lead for a case of kidnappings that had been plaguing the city. Children of the Gotham affluent had been going missing for the past couple of weeks. They appeared random, with no discernible pattern presenting itself apart from the social status of the victims and their families. Batman was not just a knight and sentinel guarding the innocent; he was also the world's greatest detective.

Gotham wasn't the only city being victimized by the kidnappings. No one else had drawn the connection, but his intuition told him it was part of a larger scheme at work. Other cities around the world had been experiencing the same plague. Batman needed to find the cure. Hopefully tonight would give him a break in the case. His attention was drawn to a delivery truck turning down the alley he had been watching. Its boxed shape slowed as it came under his position. He drew his cape around him and crouched lower against the roof, causing his profile to go from difficult to see to near invisible. The truck parked and the passenger door opened, a man slipping out glancing around to ensure the security and isolation of the area. He nodded to himself content that was the case. "We're clear." He spoke back in the direction of the truck cab. The ignition was turned off and the driver exited on his side. The back door of the truck was pushed up, rolling up along its tracks, and three more men exited from the rear. They weren't alone.

Their newest victims were gagged. Rope tied their wrists, and a longer strand of rope connected their tied hands to a looser strand binding their feet. This enabled them to walk, but they wouldn't be able to run away. Two victims, mid-teens by appearance, a boy and a girl were escorted off the truck and walked toward the hood. Batman resisted the urge to jump down and rescue them immediately. He needed information. Who were the kidnappers? Who did they work for? Where were they taking the children? Those answers would come if he waited for the right time. Other than the gag and bindings, the children appeared to be in no immediate discomfort or threat of harm. The kidnappers obviously didn't want to harm "the merchandise." Ransom demands had been slow in coming, and for some nonexistent. If the situation changed and the children were threatened with harm it would be an easy matter for the Caped Crusader to dispatch the kidnappers, but until then he would wait.

The children and kidnappers alike shivered from the wet cold as they continued their brief walk forward. They walked past windows and doors toward the dead end in the alley. The brick wall rose up before them with no handholds or ladders. Batman silently moved to the far corner of his rooftop and just as silently lowered himself to a fire escape. He had been expecting them to enter one of the buildings. Since they had passed all obvious entrances something was unusual and he had to be ready to adjust his plans. With one last look around, the kidnappers pulled the children forward. One of them reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew something Batman couldn't make out. The kidnapper pointed it at the wall and a flash of light appeared out of nowhere evolving into something which appeared to be a spinning vortex. Batman waited no longer. Plans had changed.

He leapt from his hiding place while simultaneously throwing one of his infamous batarangs, a flat device with the outline of a bat which acted as both boomerang and shuriken (better known by their Western name of ninja throwing stars). The batarang hit the kidnapper closest to batman in the head knocking him cold. His partner was stunned for a second, seeing his co-conspirator fall, but turned in time to give a shout of warning as he saw the dark figure running toward him. It was too late for him. A single punch landed in just the right place landed him beside his partner. Two down, three to go; Batman continued his run toward the remaining kidnappers even as they all withdrew semiautomatic pistols from holsters hidden inside their coats. The lead kidnapper yelled in a language Batman couldn't understand, which in and of itself only deepened the mystery considering his mastery of linguistics. He dove, dodged, and rolled away from the bullets that came from the kidnappers guns. He sprung up at just the right moment delivering a fierce kick to the head of one and a punch to the face of the other.

One kidnapper remained. He held his pistol out pointing it to the head of one of the children. He yelled again in that unknown language. The whirling vortex of light remained open behind him as he walked backwards towards it, grabbing the girl and holding her close to his body with one arm while pointing his gun at her head with the other. Fear was apparent in her eyes. The boy had moved off as quickly as his tied feet would allow, and pressed himself against the wall of one of the alley's buildings.

"Not another step!" the kidnapper yelled at Batman finally speaking English with a slight unknown accent. "I will shoot her." Batman paused, momentarily considering his options. Another batarang was concealed in his hand ready to be delivered at the first opening. The kidnapper inched closer to the vortex and suddenly turned, picking the girl up as if she weighed nothing and began a sprint toward the tunnel of light. That was the opening. Batman threw the batarang. It was right on target connecting with the back of the kidnapper's head. His gun hand had changed directions, away from the girl and had been pointing down, and a bullet discharged into the asphalt. Batman moved with a speed defying his large muscular frame, reaching the kidnapper and victim in seconds. He shoved the girl aside and brought a knee forcefully up into the stomach of the kidnapper, followed by an elbow driving down into his skull. The kidnapper slumped to the ground joining his partners in a loss of consciousness.

Batman turned to face the two victims ready to offer any medical aid immediately necessary. The vortex shimmered as out of it walked three more beings, not human. They raised devices at Batman, which he correctly took as weapons, and fired. Batman quickly dodged the pulsing light belching from the new weapons. They had plasma weapons. More tools in Batman's inventory were quickly drawn from the ever present utility belt worn around his waist. The gas and smoke pellets would serve to momentarily disorient his newest opponents as they exploded in pops of vapor. They didn't serve their purpose as efficiently as he hoped. One of the aliens was able to reach the girl and grab her, raising her to his shoulder as he retreated to the vortex; while his comrades maintained cover fire keeping Batman from being able to reach them.

The three aliens retreated into the vortex, carrying their victim with them. Batman had no choice. He had to pursue. He spoke into the air, knowing the open channel of his communication device would pick up his voice and transmit to the receiver on the other end, while running at full sprint toward the vortex which was quickly growing smaller. He needed help with this one, a rare occurrence and even rarer admission.

"Alfred. National City. D-E-O. Get J'onn Jones." Those were the last words he spoke without bothering to wait for an acknowledgment of his order. He jumped feet first into the closing vortex. Within seconds, the alley was once again dark; the vortex had closed taking Batman, the kidnapped girl, and the unknown aliens with it. The alley was dark and silent only for a minute. Gotham City Police were quickly on the scene with lights and sirens blaring as their patrol vehicles pulled up behind the abandoned kidnappers' truck. The unconscious kidnappers were quickly handcuffed with their hands behind their back, while a couple officers attended to the boy whose eyes were wide with shock and his body trembling from both the shock of this evenings events as well as the cold rain which continued to pour.

A gray haired man in a trench coat stepped out of another arriving patrol vehicle and surveyed the scene. He was James Gordon, Gotham City Police Commissioner. While the other officers busied themselves with securing the crime scene, taking criminals into custody, and attempting to comfort the boy; Commissioner Gordon's attention was on the rooftops. He looked at every rooftop corner, wall window, and fire escape visible to him. He knew what he was looking for, or rather for whom. Usually Batman would stick around just for a moment to ensure all was safely being wrapped up, but Gordon could see no sign of his longtime friend and ally against crime. He sighed and tightened his coat closer to try and keep out some of the wet cold. His officers had things handled here. He got back into his car and pulled away from the alley, passing an ambulance whose EMTs would see to the medical needs of the boy and transport him to a hospital where he would be reunited with his parents. It was a small victory, very small, but one he would take. It was the first time any of the kidnappings had been foiled in the act, and now they had some suspects to question. Hopefully, new leads would be brought to light and this kidnapping ring brought to justice. He hoped Batman was already on the scent. He didn't know how close to the truth that hope actually was.

* * * * * * *

Alfred Pennyworth was a man of distinguished bearing and service. His job as butler to the richest family in Gotham had brought a life of joy and challenges. He had first served under Dr. Thomas Wayne, M.D. and helped raise Dr. Wayne's only son, Bruce. That aspect of his job had taken a sudden turn when one night Dr. Wayne and his wife, Martha, had been gunned down in an alley. Bruce had been accompanying them that night and was left as a witness to his parent's murder. That incident had changed the course of young Bruce's life. He grew up not as normal boys do with hopeful dreams and ambitions, but with dreams and ambitions of dark justice. Bruce decided to avenge his parents' death and do his best to ensure no one else had to suffer as he did. Bruce Wayne used his family fortune, and physical and mental skill to become The Batman. Alfred was not only Bruce's butler, but his first confidant. He had known the secret of The Batman since the beginning; and served in whatever capacity he was needed, whether as medic, mechanic, inventor, and on the list went. Tonight he was in Bruce's secret lair, the Bat Cave—hidden in a natural cave beneath the family estate of Wayne Manor, monitoring the computers and communications for tonight's operation.

He had been following Batman's progress throughout the night, and his coordinates via encrypted Global Positioning System courtesy of a Wayne Enterprise satellite. Alfred had placed an anonymous call to the Gotham City Police alerting them of the situation in the alley. That was the reason they had arrived so quickly. Unfortunately, that GPS could not provide a location to Batman's current position. He frowned as he attempted to reboot the system and circumnavigate any errors which might be present. Everything came back clear and operational. The satellite was functioning perfectly. Where then was Master Bruce? He played back the last communication he had received. "Alfred. National City. D-E-O. Get…." The feed had abruptly ended, cutting off what the Dark Knight had been about to say. That was the only lead, and one he had to follow. Well, not he himself exactly; there were others for that job. Batman didn't always work alone. Through the years he had worked alongside several partners. They were the ones who would do the actual leg work for this mission. They were guardians of Gotham just as Batman was. If the Bat Cave could be considered a Camelot of justice in this dark city; they, like Batman, were Gotham's Knights.

Alfred pushed one of the multitude of buttons on the keyboard which served the mammoth Bat Computer. His British accent punctuated the stillness of the silent cave. "Nightwing, I am in need of your assistance."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _National City_

The gala was in full bloom. A string quartet was playing, providing ambient background music, guests were mingling, and the caterers busied themselves carrying trays of drinks and light appetizers. It was a socialite party, an evening of outward elegance; allowing gossip and fashion columnists the chance to write new material for their periodicals, guests to show off their newest and finest clothes and jewelry, and it also allowed the chance to network with a handshake here, a back slap there, here a deal, and there a client. It wasn't how Kara Danvers preferred to spend her evenings, but as a journalist for CatCo Media duty called. Her eyes swept the scene trying to decide if it was worth it to approach any of National City's most opulent and ask for an interview. Who to interview, and about what? She ran over a few scenarios in her head. _Hi Mr. Smith, how has your golf game been? Mrs. Jones, lovely to see you tonight, care to comment on your book club's newest book of the month?_ Kara inwardly shrugged. Maybe she should stay here and snatch appetizers off passing trays.

She was here on request of her friend, Lena Luthor; but for this particular evening the request had been a professional one. Lena Luthor was the owner of L-Corp and CatCo, making her Kara's boss; but that didn't interfere with their friendship…for the most part. Lena was her boss's boss, her immediate boss walked up to here now.

"How goes the night?" James Olsen asked. Looking dashing in his tuxedo, the African American man was also a close friend and confidant. It wasn't everybody who cut your paycheck by day, and fought crime beside you by night. While the CEO of CatCo looked like a mild mannered CEO, once he donned his special armored suit he became The Guardian. Kara on the other hand had no need for a special armored suit. Her whole body was armored. When the need arose Kara could move at speeds unseeable by the naked human eye as anything but a blur. She wasn't a native of National City; and although here Caucasian complexion and blonde hair made her appear to be an average woman, she wasn't a native of Earth. She was one of the last survivors of a planet known as Krypton. The radiation of Earth's yellow sun gave her super human abilities allowing her to fight to keep National City safe, and on occasion Earth as a whole, as the hero known as Supergirl.

"Boring." Kara replied to James' question. "What was so important about this rodeo of the rich that Lena needed me here? It's not like she doesn't have a hundred other reporters that could cover this. There's a reason CatCo has a department specifically geared toward society."

"Yeah, well, she said she wanted you to have first crack at the 'Biggest Headline of the Month' for National City," he said using the air quotes around the headline. "It's a favor to you and she's been excited all week. She hasn't even told me."

Kara looked up at him and brushed some of her long blonde hair away from her face, "Top secret, huh?"

"I asked her a couple times. I mean, how am I supposed to be the CEO of a media corporation and not know what's going on. She wouldn't budge." James gave Kara a grin and a shrug, "this is just one of those instances where what the boss wants, the boss gets." James looked up from their conversation, "but it looks like we're about to find out."

"Excuse me, everyone," Lena Luthor began as she got the attention of the crowd and the noise dimmed. "I have an announcement to make. One I am particularly excited to announce." As she turned her body so as to make eye contact with as many people as possible the light shimmered off the sparkles of her black evening gown. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face, perfectly brushed, and kept back in a bun. She continued with her announcement, "As you all know the Research and Development arm of L-Corp has been making headway with our new biotech industry," Even if not everyone knew it, they still shook their head in agreement, "we are paving a path to better health and living, medicine, and we are on the brink of some fascinating discoveries. Of course, that all takes money; but I am pleased to announce funding will be one of the least of our concerns, and we will be able to continue forward with the progress we have made." She paused to catch her breath and bait the curiosity of her audience before continuing, "as of this morning, L-Corp will be working full speed ahead thanks to financial backing from Wayne Enterprises." The excited ooohs and aahs, gasps of surprise, and open mouths were enough to tell her she had delivered this surprise with precision. "Please welcome my special guest, and representative from Wayne Enterprises, Mr. Richard Grayson."

Applause greeted the man who took center stage next to Lena. His muscular form, perfect hair, and ready smile were the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He smiled and waved, shook hands, and engaged in brief small talk with those closest to him. Lena found Kara in the crowd and excitedly waved her over. Kara had an instant crush. She ran her hands down her already smooth blue dress making sure it was picture perfect, brushed her fingers through her hair, and straightened her glasses, and walked toward her boss and friend while trying to keep the heat of physical attraction she suddenly felt from reaching full blush on her face. Lena smiled as she took her by the hand and led her over to one of the world's most eligible bachelors.

"Kara, this is the surprise," Lena began, "You have an exclusive interview with Richard, and I'll make sure James puts it front page for the next edition."

Kara failed in her endeavor to keep the blush from her face as the man straight out of any woman's fantasies came over and shook her hand. "Mr. Grayson, I uh, it's so much about you, I mean I've heard nice to meet you," she stammered while mentally kicking herself.

He gave her a gracious smile and mercifully ignored her momentary, albeit complete, lack of sentence forming ability. "Please, call me Dick. I hear we have an interview later. I look forward to it." He shook hands again and left her with that winning smile of his while allowing Lena to escort him around and introduce him to various patrons in the crowd.

James came up behind Kara, "Some surprise, huh?"

"I'll say. Still, a head's up would have been nice."

"I don't disagree."

Outside, on a rooftop across the street from the building where the party had returned to full swing, a figure crouched with binoculars pressed to his face, held in one hand. He was looking through the windows spying on the gathering. He momentarily withdrew the binoculars to reveal a masked face, and looked around at his surroundings ensuring the area was still secure. He then glanced at a device held in the opposite hand of his binoculars. A small screen showed an inside view of the festivities. He switched between various cameras showing the general area and crowd, to one which was moving among the crowd at shoulder height, or rather throat height. The camera was hidden in the knot of Dick Grayson's bow tie and recorded every sound and voice, and the face of every person shaking his hand. The hidden figure looked back through his binoculars and spoke into the air, or rather into a voice activated communications device hidden in his ear.

"Oracle, you picking up on everything?"

A faceless voice came back in reply, "Loud and clear, Robin. Inputting images to cross reference with the guest list and archived photos."

"Copy," he replied, "all that's left is the waiting; and then we can get to work."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Robin kept his vigil across the street while the lifestyle of the rich and famous party continued in all its splendor. His cape was swept behind his shoulders. National City has a much nicer climate than Gotham. Although Batman and Nightwing had trained him to endure discomfort and harsh conditions, he didn't mind staying dry and comfortable. He spoke again into the night, transmitting over the encrypted communication network; but this time it was to another party.

"How is the catering job coming?"

The woman's voice that answered sounded a little frustrated. "Why did I get picked for this job? How come I'm not the one doing the outside surveillance?"

"We drew straws, remember?" Robin grinned as he spoke. "What's the matter, having trouble balancing your tray?"

"I think your head on my tray would make a good counterbalance."

Oracle came back over the network, "Tsk, tsk, Cassandra; you only have to act proper for a few more hours, and then you can get back to bashing in skulls."

"That does sound relaxing." The woman was Cassandra Cain. Her jet black hair was in a ponytail while her striking Eurasian features, to her dismay, were on full display in the modest catering uniform. The black vest over the white starched shirt with a black rosette around her throat, the perfectly fitting black pants, and the black small heel pumps on her feet made an itchy and uncomfortable combination. She would prefer to be on the streets in her mask, cape, and Kevlar lined fighting suit as the vigilante known as Batgirl. "I look like the Penguin."

"Aw come on, you look good when you dress like a girl." Robin was enjoying the chiding he was giving her, his grin spreading into a wide smile, "Penguin would kill to look half as good as you."

"You really do want your head decorating my tray, don't you?"

"Settle down, children," Oracle mediated, though she was enjoying listening to the conversation.

Cassandra's voice came back over the comms, "Next time, when picking assignments, we play Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"Yeah, right; like I'm going to play that game against someone whose first fluency is reading body language. You'd know what I was picking before I did."

"That's the idea." Robin's reference was to how Cassandra was raised as a little girl. Instead of teaching her to speak, read, and write; her father (David Cain, a world renown assassin) had her master body language; specifically, how to fight and kill—reading her opponents' movements before they could even strike. This had led to her being mute most of her life, unable and unknowing how to speak. That had changed by pure chance one night when a metahuman stranger with telepathic powers, intending only good, had rearranged her mental thought process; unlocking the ability to finally verbally communicate. It came with a price. She exchanged one language for another, and temporarily lost her ability to fight. She relearned her lethal skills, and now some would consider her to have the best of both worlds.

The kidnappers taken into custody by Gotham Police weren't talking, but one did have a bit of a surprise in his DNA. He wasn't human. That detail of course was kept from the press, but combined with Batman's last instructions to come to National City and seek out the Department of Extra-Normal Operations the game was afoot; and starting to lead out of this world.

Dick Grayson continued his public personification of a venture capitalist representing Wayne Enterprises and being the new partner in sponsoring research being conducted by L-Corp. He allowed Lena to guide him to different guests; introducing him to this bank president, that CEO, a handful of hedge fund managers, and a mix of university presidents, and board members of various corporations, and city council members. He didn't have to do a lot of acting. For once, he was actually here being himself as a legitimate representative of Wayne Enterprises. Of course, a week ago he had been acting as a legitimate crime fighter. Ok, somewhat legitimate. Yes, he was a crime fighter; but being a vigilante wasn't exactly fully endorsed by legal authorities. He had been on his own stakeout, following a lead on the kidnapping case that hadn't panned out, when Alfred had called him. He drove as fast as he could to the Batcave to start planning. By day, he was Richard (or Dick as his friends had always called him) Grayson; the former ward and now adopted son of Bruce Wayne. As such, he had a place in the family business. By night, he was another of the masked vigilante heroes, the second in command of the Gotham Knights—Nightwing.

Dick Grayson was just a boy when he was orphaned. His family had been traveling circus performers, dazzling crowds night after night under the big top as the "Flying Graysons," an internationally acclaimed acrobatics and trapeze troupe. When a disgruntled man had cut the rope holding the trapeze swing one night in the middle of the Flying Graysons' performance, both of Dick's parents had fallen to their death. Bruce Wayne just so happened to be in the audience that night, and remembering his own life as an early orphan had taken young Dick into his care. Dick had become the ward of Bruce, with Alfred helping raise him. One night, Dick accidently discovered the Batcave and in turn Bruce's secret life. He convinced Bruce to train him and take him on as his first partner. Soon, Dick Grayson was following Batman as The Robin. The villains of Gotham were on the run from the Dynamic Duo, as they had been dubbed. Unfortunately, Dick and Bruce had a falling out as Dick grew older. Dick left and moved to a different city, Bludhaven; but still had the desire to fight crime and protect the innocent. He took on the mantle of Nightwing. Eventually, he and Bruce mended their relationship and he came back into the fold. The current Robin, who was keeping watch on the neighboring rooftop, was Tim Drake; and he was the third person to wear the mask of Robin. The second Robin, well, that was a longer story; and one ending in tragedy the Bat family knew not to bring up too often.

He had made a call to Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises who did most of the public leg work of keeping the company running, and told him of the disappearance of Bruce Wayne. Lucius was also a confidant of the Bat family and aware of the private life of his boss and his wards. It was Lucius who had told Dick a representative of L-Corp had contacted Wayne Enterprises seeking a joint funding venture for an R&D project. Though hesitant to work hand in hand with a member of the Luthor family (Lena's brother, Lex Luthor, was an infamous "super villain" responsible for several attempts at either destroying the world or conquering it) Dick saw it as an opportunity to get into National City without causing any unnecessary gossip. A business venture would work as a legitimate cover. National City was their only lead, given to them by Batman, "National City, DEO, Get…" Get who? Get what? That was why they were here, to figure that particular puzzle out.

A man approached him with a voice recorder in hand. "Mr. Grayson, Mike Phillips with the National City Gazette. What does Wayne Enterprises hope to earn and accomplish with this venture?"

Dick smiled at the man and gave a gracious reply, "Mr. Phillips, I have already promised an exclusive with Miss Luthor's media corporation, but I will make time for a public press conference in a few days." Dick and Lena walked away as the reporter opened his mouth to ask another question. He was interrupted from pursuing them by a clumsy caterer who accidently backed into him, almost spilling the contents of her tray.

"I am so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Yeah, just watch where you're going."

Dick smiled, appreciating Casandra's save. He'd thank her later. The evening continued, and Dick bade his hostess good night as they coordinated schedules to meet up and polish the details of the venture. Kara watched as he drove off in his rented luxury sports car. She approached Lena.

"So, eventful evening?"

"Very. With Wayne Enterprises on board I was able to get the interest of other people and hopefully this project will be fully funded with no worries about future stalls."

"Is L-Corp in trouble? Why did you need to reach out to anyone?"

"Kara, after fighting Morgan Edge in a bid war for CatCo my finances were low. I needed someone to bolster them long enough to keep L-Corp afloat, and give me a chance to get the legs back underneath everything."

"And selling rights to an exclusive interview owned by CatCo to every other world media outlet wouldn't hurt things either."

"See, you could be corporate CEO someday." Lena smiled at Kara.

"I think I'll keep my current job for a while longer."

Dick Grayson arrived at his hotel suite. "Talk to me, Oracle."

"We got facial recognition and voice recordings to match everyone you met at the party. I'll enter them into our system and hope we never need it. Huntress has made a few passes at the alley, but I think we all know with that drop point compromised they won't use it again."

"I agree, but at least leave a camera there to monitor it. You never know how dumb some crooks can be."

Huntress was another member of Gotham's crime fighting team. She had stayed in Gotham to follow any new leads which might arise.

"Any new developments?"

"Actually, I think I might have found something. So, the ages of the children varied from under 10 to mid-teens, and the parents at first glance have no connections with each other. But I did a little digging. Apparently, through the usual assortment of shell corporations and under the table transactions, they are actually partners in the defense industry and cover a few different businesses. Those are just the ones from Gotham since I've had a head start on those. I don't know if anyone you met tonight is tied in or not, but I'll start on it."

"Good work. I owe Cassandra one for the save from the reporter tonight. Has she reported in?"

"She said something about stress relief."

"Ahh. Well, I guess the National City underworld will have its first introduction to Batgirl. I'm proceeding with the next phase of the mission."

Finally relieved to be out of the stiff catering uniform and into her usual work clothes, Batgirl perched on one of the many rooftops of the National City skyline. Like a bat waiting for an insect to fly along to eat, she waited for any sign of crime, any villain thinking they were better than another person. She waited silently, patiently.

Flying high above National City, Supergirl was doing a routine nightly patrol. Her super vision and super hearing were tuned for any signs of trouble...or the occasional cat stuck in a tree. She suddenly saw something out of the ordinary. Crouching on a rooftop was a person in a mask and cape. That couldn't be good. What were they up to? Nothing like an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, she drifted silently down to investigate. She landed without making a sound several yards behind the masked individual.

"Can I help you?" Supergirl stood with her arms across her chest. Having shed her secret identity of Kara Danvers, Supergirl no longer wore glasses and a dress. Instead, her long hair hung loose, flowing past her neck and shoulders. She was dressed in her "work uniform" comprised of a blue top with what appeared to be a red "S" in a field of yellow and red, centered in a pentagon pointing down. Red was the only other color completing her uniform—red skirt, red boots, and red cape.

The person turned in surprise giving Supergirl a view of a completely masked face, with what appeared to be horns sticking out of the head. From the tailored fit of the costume Supergirl could tell she was dealing with a woman. The horned woman wore a cape with the appearance of tatters at the bottom, and on the dark colored chest of her costume was the outline of a bat. That looked vaguely like something her cousin had told her about once.

"I said, can I help you?"

Without saying a word, the woman jumped off the roof.

"Are you crazy!?" Supergirl flew forward ready to stop this attempt at suicide, or whatever ill intention the woman had toward herself or others. Instead, she looked down and saw…nothing. Startled, she looked in every other direction and finally spotted her quarry swinging from a long line which had been connected to another building. She flew at super speed reaching the rooftop destination before the mysterious woman did.

When the masked woman reached the rooftop a moment after Supergirl, Supergirl reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. Mistake #1. Supergirl didn't know what happened. One second she was hanging on to this person, and the next she was looking up at the night sky while lying on her back. The Judo throw hadn't hurt her, she was the Woman of Steel after all, but she was so stunned and surprised she just stayed down. It only took a couple seconds for her to recover and get back on her feet. Once again, the strange visitor was gone. This time, when Supergirl went to the edge of the roof to search, there was no sign of the mysterious caped woman with ninja skills. She had vanished into the night without leaving a trace of her existence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The instructions Batman had left included the D.E.O. Fortunately for the team, Batman had a file on the Bat Computer with as much as he knew about the Department of Extra-normal Operations. It was a top secret U.S. Government organization which fell under the Department of Defense, but specialized in keeping America and the world safe from aliens and metahumans. Dick wondered how all of this was tied together: kidnapped children whose parents were somehow connected to Department of Defense contractors, aliens doing the kidnapping, and an organization related to both aliens and the DoD. It couldn't be a coincidence, could it? The team couldn't even start trying to track down Batman. No trace was left in the alley, apart from a couple of batarangs which Commissioner Gordon had been able to discreetly collect and hand back to Nightwing. GPS and communications weren't picking up Batman's signal anywhere, they had used multiple satellites (GPS, communications, imaging, etc.) at various orbits and altitudes and come up empty. While Oracle was working her magic electronically, Dick and the others had come to National City to see if a physical inspection of the D.E.O. could help them with any leads. Though Oracle could probably hack into their computer systems it would take time. Dick had decided a more direct, albeit riskier, route was in order.

After receiving the briefing from Oracle in his hotel room Dick had made his way back out of the hotel; but not as Dick Grayson, and not via stairs or elevator. Dick opened the window to his penthouse suite. The top floor and only the finest accommodations not only served his cover as a member of elite society, but also provided easy access to the roof. Of course, if anyone had seen him (which no one did) they would not have seen Dick Grayson. They would have seen a figure in a fitted and padded dark body suit, gloved hands and booted feet, and a mask partially covering his face. Unlike Batman and Batgirl, Nightwing's mask (and Robin's as well) covered only his eyes and nose leaving his head, hair, and chin visible. Nightwing had made his way to the edge of the roof, took a few quick glances to survey his surroundings as well as the National City night, and launched himself off. He didn't use a grappling gun as Batgirl had used to elude Supergirl. Instead, he let himself free fall for just a few seconds, his body straight and stiff as he flew toward the ground like a torpedo; and then he activated a hidden mechanism in his suit. While his arms were pinned to his side he forcefully moved them both outward at the same time. What appeared between his arms and body was a strong fabric which caught the wind and slowed his decent. He angled himself in such a manner that soon he was gliding over the rooftops, using the thermal drafts to soar as a bird of prey with outstretched wings. He wore a non-descript black backpack which could be discarded if necessary.

He landed on a roof a few miles away from his point of origin, did a quick visual security check, and proceeded to remove his mask from his face and backpack from its place. He opened the backpack and withdrew a pair of coveralls, quickly donning them over his Nightwing uniform. A ball cap displaying the logo of the National City Sharks football team was pulled low over his face. He made his way to the roof exit and began his descent down the stairs. His target was across the street.

"Nightwing to Team, Phase Line Alpha." His teammates copied. Robin had earlier left his perch watching the social gala and made his way to another rooftop separate from the one Nightwing had just landed on, but still in the close vicinity to conduct recon of the target for this part of the operation; as well as to provide back-up for Nightwing should the need arise. Oracle had hacked into the National City power grid, the street cameras, and the cameras in the office building Nightwing had just entered. He was safe to walk across the street and leave no electronic visual record of his visit. The D.E.O had its own power supply separate from the city, and its roof had a state of the art security system which included motion sensors. Instead of tasking Oracle to take the time and try to hack it, he had decided to just walk through the front door.

He showed the door guard his credentials as a janitor (false I.D. courtesy of Oracle) and made his way toward a janitor's closet to begin his work shift. The normal janitor who worked this shift had called in sick. It was nothing serious; he would recover from his flu like symptoms within the next 24 hours. The dosage of the drug clandestinely delivered to him earlier in the day was low enough to not have any lasting side effects a good night's sleep couldn't cure. He had accepted a muffin and latte from a cute Asian girl earlier in the day, but he had to call and cancel their date because of the sudden onset of his sickness. Cassandra, acting as her cover of a local college student, had expressed her sympathy over the phone and wished him a speedy recovery. Of course, that phone number would be "no longer in use" after tonight; the burner phone Cassandra had used was bleached clean and thrown in a street trash can. Dick retrieved a work cart from the closet and began whistling while he worked. He made his way through a couple bathrooms, wiping down the sinks and mirrors, and emptying the trash cans and checking their contents for any intel. He didn't expect to find anything; government employees were trained better than to just discard critical information, but mistakes sometimes happened.

Nightwing proceeded down the hallways, up the elevators, and into various offices. It was amazing how much access people would give to someone hired to clean up after them. Of course, all of this was just to maintain his cover and lull any watching eyes into thinking he was just a typical midnight shift custodian. He took a quick look over his shoulder, and watched as the night guard made his way down the hall and around the corner. Nightwing had to work fast; the guard would be back in a couple minutes as he made his nightly rounds. He retrieved a hand held device from the baggy pocket of his coveralls and watched as various light bars alternated between bright and dim. Another purpose of making rounds into various bathrooms and offices was to plant special devices. He pushed a button on the device he held in his hand. An invisible pulse radiated outward from all the devices he had planted, causing a momentary electromagnetic pulse. The EMP wouldn't last long, countermeasures would be up and running in no time, but it gave him the precious few seconds he needed to rush toward the stairwell in darkness—no lights, no cameras. The EMP also served to temporarily knock out any communications jamming or security sensors. This wasn't a lock pick, it was a battering ram. The D.E.O. would definitely know something was wrong and be on full alert. Nightwing made his way to the stairwell, retrieved a gas powered grappling hook gun from his other pocket, and jumped into the space between handrails and stairs. He plummeted feet first down several stories, and then fired the grappling gun. The hinged claw magnetically attached itself to one of the passing hand rails and the line slowed Nightwing's descent enough so he wouldn't end up as a human pancake, but still maintained the momentum necessary for gravity to speed him along.

Nightwing neared the lowest level, a sub-basement of the building, and activated the button which slowed him to a near stop. His feet landed silently on the floor; and he deactivated the magnet, retrieving the cable and hook in the same manner a tape measure is recoiled when unlocked. He removed his coveralls and turned them inside out; and did the same with his ball cap before replacing both to once again cover his Nightwing uniform. He was now wearing the uniform of a D.E.O. security guard. Aside from emitting an EMP, the devices he planted would also act as communication boosters allowing him to communicate past the building's jamming to his team on the outside. If all was going well those small devices would be up to the task of not only transmitting voices, but also receiving what he needed now.

"Ok, Oracle, do your thing." He placed the device next to the electronically encrypted door in front of him, watching the lights once again pulsing back and forth. Oracle was remotely hacking into the door's security code (a much simpler task than attempting to hack a whole building) and after just a couple of seconds Nightwing heard a slight click. He opened the door and made his way down the hallway. This level housed the computer core. A room consisting of shelves filled with processors, cables, cords, and wires hummed with the noise of electricity, fans, and air conditioning keeping the room at a chilled temperature to prevent the computers from overheating. He found the door to the core room and made his way inside.

"Nightwing to Team, Phase Line Bravo."

He made his way over to a USB port. He took the device that had literally opened doors for him, flipped up a USB drive, and inserted its head into the port. The device automatically began downloading the entire D.E.O. database, and transmitting in bursts to the boosting devices, which in turn transmitted the digital contents back to Oracle in Gotham City via satellite. Because the core room had an extra layer of EMP shielding to prevent shutdown during an attack, the mainframe and processors were still working. Of course, the computer monitors at all the work stations in the building would have gone dark, or exploded in a shower of sparks, when the mini EMP had hit.

There were petabytes of data stored in these processors, and it was taking a few minutes to download everything. Nightwing was growing impatient; and was expecting someone to enter the room at any moment and discover his presence and his actions. He wasn't deleting anything, after all the D.E.O. were the good guys, but he did need to borrow as much information as possible to try and find whatever it was Batman had sent them here to find. The device silently flashed indicating it had finished its job of downloading, and a minute later a second flash indicated it had transmitted the last of that digital information.

"Oracle?"

"I got it. Get out of there."

Now came the hard part. The entire building was on high alert and the emergency generators had kicked in giving electricity back to the building. Lights and cameras were now activated. It was time for action. Nightwing made his way out of the core room and came across his first security guard.

"I just checked it, everything looks secure in there." Nightwing used his thumb to point back over his shoulder. "Let's keep sweeping. I'll take the next level."

"Sounds good," the guard nodded accepting Nightwing's story. Of course, all he saw was a building security guard. Right now everything was chaos and they needed to get their emergency sweeps started and finished as fast as possible to ensure the security of the building and the organization.

Nightwing left the guard behind him as he rushed to the stairs, joining a small group of other guards beginning their sweep. He blended in and followed them stair by stair, hallway by hallway. Once they got to the floor where Nightwing had switched disguises, he discreetly left them and entered the office where he had left his custodial cart. Once again he quickly reversed his disguise and came out of the office pushing the cart with a confused expression on his face.

"Hey, what's happening? Why'd everything go dark?"

"Sir," one of the guards spoke to him, "I need you to exit the building. Check out at the front desk."

"Yeah, ok, whatever you say." Nightwing left his cart in the hallway and proceeded to the elevator, which would be the quickest way back to the lobby and the logical exit strategy the guards would expect him to take. Just before entering the elevator he pushed a button on his multi functioning device. This would cause an invisible field of harmless infrared light to be generated which would work with material in his disguise to cause the camera to blur. Anyone who examined the footage would draw the conclusion it was just an after effect of the EMP. He exited the elevator into the lobby with the device still activated, giving the same problem it had given to the elevator camera to every other camera that could possibly be pointing at him. He walked to the front desk as the guard upstairs had instructed him (just walking out would have been against procedures and aroused suspicion) and spoke to the guard stationed there.

"Another of you guys upstairs told me to come down here."

"Yeah," the desk guard replied, "you're shift is over for the night. Empty the contents of your pockets. We need to clear you and make sure you haven't taken anything."

"Yeah, ok, whatever you say." Nightwing emptied a large key fob and large smart phone from his coverall pockets and presented them to the guard.

"Ok, you're clear to go. Have a good night." If the guard had known that key fob was responsible for setting off the EMP, and downloading and transmitting the entire computer database of the D.E.O. to someone in a city on the other side of the country; or that the smart phone wouldn't have worked if it was tested (how could it, there were no phone parts in it, just a long lightweight cable attached to a magnetic hinged claw) Nightwing would have had to have gone with Plan B. He was glad everything passed scrutiny, because he wasn't really sure what Plan B was.

Nightwing exited the building in the guise of the janitor, and pressed another button on his "key fob." Every device he had planted in the bathrooms and offices of the building behind him quietly fried their circuits and melted themselves into slag. Of course, this set off a few minor fires in all the trash cans where they had been hiding; but the building sprinkler system ensured it didn't spread farther.

"Nightwing to Team, Phase Line Charlie."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _Metropolis_

"Kent!" The man's voice called across the room full of people enveloped in their own tasks. Some were on the phone. Others were typing away at computers. Entry level employees ran to and fro with coffee, mail, and various sandwiches or bagels for the busy people who had ordered them from the café. The room was hectic, and the noise from the multitude of conversations being carried on would have drowned out anyone; anyone, that is, except for Perry White.

Perry, or Chief as he was commonly called, was the Editor of the Daily Planet. It was one of the nation's oldest newspapers and was still a trusted source internationally for news, sports, gossip, and getting to the heart of a story. The Daily Planet was housed in a downtown office building rising to the clouds in the middle of other skyscrapers. Metropolis was a concrete jungle with buildings of steel, glass, and brick rising from the ground. It was a skyline that would awe any observer, and a tourist destination on any serious world travelers' bucket list. What separated the Planet building and set it apart from the surrounding cityscape was the unique structure on its roof. A large globe that actually spun on an axis was a famous adorning feature recognizable to all who saw it. While the outside stood iconic, the inside was a constant and daily busy bustle.

"KENT!" Perry called out again as he stepped from his office. "How come I don't have any reporters around when I need them!?" A rhetorical question not meant for anyone to answer. Perry White was known for his outbursts, especially when he considered a matter to be urgent. The fact that he had an entire building full of reporters at his beck and call was overlooked by everyone who heard him. He was a man on a mission, with a mission for a man; and that particular man was Clark Kent. A star reporter and longtime veteran of the Daily Planet, Clark Kent let nothing in his way when a story needed to be investigated and written. He was the recipient of numerous awards for his stories. He hung up the phone he had been talking on regarding a story that obviously wasn't as important anymore as what his boss now had for him. Another irony considering Perry had assigned it to him just a couple days prior. Oh well, he'd give it to someone else.

"Here, Chief." Clark raised his hand and stood up from his desk. He began walking toward his boss, and tripped over a shin height trash can. He bent down to pick up the spilled garbage of mostly paper scraps, banana peels, and paper coffee cups. He set the trash can back in its place and stood up, pushing his glasses back up his nose so they wouldn't fall off. Another two steps and he quickly took a hop backwards to avoid running into an errand boy.

"Oh, ah, sorry about that Tom."

"No problem, Mr. Kent."

Clark continued on his short trek. Perry rested his hands on his hips as he watched the progress of Clark's brief journey. Clark was a star reporter, but how his clumsiness didn't get in his way of accomplishing those tasks was beyond Perry's comprehension. A few more apologies for close calls, accidently spilling someone's coffee and promising to buy them another one, and running into a desk while trying to avoid colliding with another errand boy with hands full of food, and Clark arrived in front of Perry. He alternated rubbing shins, knees, and elbows from his various light collisions as he spoke up. "You wanted to see me, Mr. White?"

Perry sighed in exasperation and amazement, and waved Clark into his office. Perry sat down in his chair. Clark remained standing on the other side of the desk.

"Kent, I'm sending you to National City. Big news developing there is Wayne Enterprises has decided to partner with L-Corp. I want you to catch the next flight and get the scoop on this."

"Of course, Mr. White; but why weren't we told about this sooner? I saw the report on the news last night. Since Mr. Wayne owns the Daily Planet why didn't he let you in on this for an exclusive?"

"How should I know what goes on inside the head of billionaires, Kent? All I know is he didn't; but I also know if we don't get this covered he's going to complain about us not being able to read his mind and knowing what he wanted versus what he didn't say. You know how it is. Now get going." Perry waved his hand to move Clark on his way. "Oh, one more thing."

"Yes, Chief?"

"Since CatCo apparently has the exclusive on this, be sure to drop by and nag that old photographer boy. Make sure he remembers he didn't get to be a CEO overnight."

Clark smiled as he replied, "Will do, Chief."

That "photographer boy" was James Olson. Before he was the CEO of CatCo he had his start right here at the Daily Planet. Jimmy, as he was known back then, was a near constant companion to Clark. Clark wrote the stories, but Jimmy had given them life through his photography; and in the process won a few awards of his own for photo journalism. While Perry may have had a gruff exterior and displayed animosity for the competition that CatCo was, Clark knew inside Perry was just as proud of what James Olson had accomplished as anyone.

The busy hum of the newsroom continued as Clark made his way back to his desk, dodging another couple of people in the process and gaining sighs and shaken heads in response. His clumsiness was well known, but so was his kind and gentle country spirit. Clark had grown up on a farm in rural Kansas. He was always a gentleman, and his kindness seemed to know no bounds. Of course, the whole staff would have had their mouths open in shock and surprise if they knew one of Clark's greatest secrets. The personality he exuded was clumsy mild mannered reporter, but in actuality he was the greatest hero on Earth. He was an orphan. The parents who adopted him and raised him on that Kansas farm had instilled in him the virtues of hope and kindness he showed to the world; but his greatest gifts came from his own biology. He wasn't born on Earth. Like his cousin, Kara Danvers, he was Kryptonian. When Krypton had been on the brink of extinction his father, Jor El, had sent Clark away from the doomed planet in a specially built shuttle craft. He had escaped orbit and reached a safe distance just as the planet exploded. The course his father had set was for Earth. Here, he had grown up into anything but clumsy. Beneath his professional business attire he wore his true work clothes. Like Kara's alter ego Clark wore a uniform of blue, with red boots and cape, and the "S" like symbol in the upside down pentagon on his chest and the back of his cape. Clark could easily dodge all the errand boys, trash cans, and desks; but had intentionally bumped into all of them to keep his clumsy disguise in place. Clark Kent was the Man of Steel—Superman.

He sat back down at his desk and opened his web browser to check flights. Of course, he didn't need an airplane. He could get to National City easier and much faster by simply flying under his own power (one of the many abilities he and Kara had in common); but it was best to keep up appearances. He booked a flight, and then picked up his cell phone to place a call to his cousin. He smiled as he thought of how two aliens had crashed on Earth, been adopted by humans, and grown up to have the same profession, albeit as competitors for two separate reporting outlets.

Kara picked up on her end. "Hey, Cous." Her cheerful greeting met Clark's ears as he made his way to the elevators. "What's up?"

"Perry has sent me on assignment, to National City."

"Oh hoh, trying to break in on some of my action, huh?"

"Something like that. Try to leave some headlines for me."

"No promises. But, I do have something to talk to you about. It involves something you told me about once, but it's probably safer to keep it for in person."

"Ok, I'll see you in a few hours." Clark and Kara bid their temporary farewells as they hung up. Clark walked out of the elevator, into the Daily Planet building lobby, and out into the afternoon of a loud and busy city. He hailed a taxi to take him back to his apartment so he could pack.

 _National City_

Clark's flight landed a few hours later. Kara was waiting for him as he walked out of the concourse and into the main building of the National City airport. They gave each other a warm embrace and walked over to the baggage claim to collect Clark's suitcase. Though they were related, they were quite the contrast in physical appearance. Kara stood five feet and eight inches (with a couple inches added by the small heels of her shoes) and her blonde hair was kept long. Clark on the other hand stood well over six feet and his hair was dark, and kept in a short professional cut, and he walked with a slight slump to his shoulders (another ingredient to his disguise, as Superman was known for perfect posture). They collected his luggage and made their way to the parking garage and to Kara's car. Once they were on the road Clark changed the subject from their small talk to the comment Kara had made on the phone.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Oh, yeah, so last night I was doing a routine fly about of the city and noticed someone on a roof. They seemed pretty out of place, especially considering they were wearing a mask."

"Not exactly winter weather out."

"Not that kind of mask. It completely covered her face, and she had a cape." Clark raised an eyebrow at that comment. "But what really caught my attention was the symbol on her chest. I think it was supposed to be a bat, or something like it. I thought I remembered you telling me sometime about an encounter you've had with someone wearing a similar costume."

"Did this woman talk to you?"

"No, she didn't say a word. I asked her if I could help but she just looked at me. Then she jumped off the roof." Kara emphasized her exasperated disbelief at her own retelling of the story with the wave of a hand and a look at her cousin

"Eyes on the road, Kara."

"Sorry," Kara refocused on driving as Clark continued the discussion.

"What happened next?"

"She didn't fall, or fly, if that's what you're thinking. She was swinging from a rope, or something. Like, she was Tarzan on a vine. Anyway, I flew ahead of her and landed on the roof she was going to before she did. I tried to grab her"

Clark interrupted her, "Let me guess, she flipped you with a judo throw?"

"So you DO know who it is." Kara bumped the steering wheel in a gesture of accomplishment of solving a mystery. "Who is it?"

"Was anyone else with her?"

"No, she was by herself."

"You mentioned you had an exclusive?" Clark changed the subject. Well, Kara thought he was changing the subject. Clark knew this part of the conversation could very well be related to Kara's encounter.

"Yeah, can you believe it? Lena set me up with an exclusive interview with Richard Grayson of Wayne Enterprises! I can't believe it. Lena said it was part of the deal. He brings the money and attention to her business, but CatCo gets first dibs on the story. As a matter of fact, I'm heading there now. It turns out you are staying in the same hotel. Mr. White must have done that on purpose."

"Yes," Clark replied with a grin, "Perry figured the closer I was to Mr. Grayson, the better opportunity I would have for my interview; after you're done, of course."

"Of Course." Kara smiled. "Wait until you meet him. I met him briefly at the gala last night."

"I'm guessing he made quite the impression."

"Well, I mean, he was…nice." Kara tried unsuccessfully to hide the blush that crept into her face. She waved it off. "But you'll have to make your own impression when you see him for the first time."

"I'm sure I will."

Kara drove into the hotel parking garage and they made their way together to the lobby. There they parted ways. Kara already had an invitation and directions to Mr. Grayson's room, and Clark needed to stop at the front desk to check into his own room. Once in his room, Clark pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number from memory.

"Hello," a British voice answered on the other end, "Wayne Manor. Who is calling?"

"Mr. Pennyworth," Clark addressed the butler by name, "this is Clark Kent. May I speak to Mr. Wayne?" Though this formality wasn't necessary, the phone line was unsecure and it was best to keep up appearances.

"I'm afraid Mr. Wayne is unavailable at the moment. If you would like an interview I can pass along the message. Some other time, perhaps?"

"Perhaps. I'm in National City right now covering recent developments between Wayne Enterprises and CatCo."

"I see, well if you see Mr. Wayne do remind him to check in. He sometimes forgets to retrieve his messages and that can be important, seeing as he does have an international business to look after."

"I'll be sure to pass it on. Thank you, and goodbye." Clark read in between the lines to interpret what Alfred had told him. _If you see Mr. Wayne…_ That meant he wasn't in Gotham; and there was no news of him in National City. All attention had been on Richard Grayson brokering and representing this deal. _Remind him to check in…_ Alfred didn't know where his boss was, and he hadn't had any contact with him. Clark checked his watch. He would see if _Mr. Grayson_ had time for a quick interview after Kara was finished. Of course, he didn't plan to ask much about the Wayne-CatCo news. He had other questions. He made his way to the top floor and to the door of the suite.

His super hearing allowed him to eavesdrop on the conversation inside. Normally, he wouldn't have done that; but he sensed an urgency to what was happening. He recognized Kara's description of the strange woman she had encountered. Superman and Batman were allies and had worked with each other several times over the years. If Batman needed backup, Clark wanted to know why. He heard Kara and Dick ending their interview and approaching the door. The door opened and Kara was a bit surprised to see her cousin standing there.

"Clark. Uh, Clark, this is Mr. Grayson. Mr. Grayson, this is my cousin, Clark."

"So nice to meet you." Dick extended his hand. "The famous Clark Kent," he said with a smile, "I've read several of your articles over the years. Bruce speaks highly of one of his best reporters. Sometimes it seems as if owning the Daily Planet makes him think he actually runs it; but let Mr. White know I'm aware of all his hard work."

"Thank you, Mr. Grayson. I was wondering if you have time for a quick interview. After all, it wouldn't look good for your own newspaper to be empty handed on such a big story."

"Of course, come right in." Dick turned back to Kara, "A pleasure to meet you once again, Miss Danvers. I look forward to doing it again soon." He smiled as he shook hands with Kara giving her the unspoken acknowledgement that their interview and time together had come to a close."

"Absolutely, Mr. Grayson, thank you, once again."

As the door closed behind her, Clark used his x-ray vision and looked right through the wall to ensure Kara was walking down the hallway. He'd have to just hope she wasn't eavesdropping with her own super hearing. He turned to Dick Grayson.

"You don't really need an interview, do you?" Dick's smile had disappeared as he leaned against the back of a couch and sensed there was another purpose for Clark to be here.

"I do, Perry did send me here for one; but I think we both know that needs to be on the back burner." Clark straightened his shoulders coming to his full height and posture. His voice changed from meek and mild mannered to firm. He didn't need to hide his true identity; Superman had worked with the whole Bat family in the past. In fact, he had been the one Dick had approached when he had decided Robin needed to separate from Batman. Superman had told him of a hero on Krypton who had gone by the name, Nightwing; and Dick had taken that name for his new crime fighting alias. "Dick, where's Bruce?"

Dick Grayson sighed and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked up at his friend and mentor. "We have no idea."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _One Week Ago in Gotham City_

Batman looked at the kidnappers retreating through the open vortex. His hesitation was so brief anyone else would have thought it non-existent. He rushed forward calling out last minute instructions as he leaped through the vortex in pursuit. "Alfred. National City. DEO. Get J'onn J'onzz." He didn't have time to hope his message had gotten through. He was fully committed to his course, and it was literally impossible to turn back. His leap carried him into the vortex. It was a swirl of lights and a physical tingling sensation; but it only lasted for a couple of seconds. He emerged in mid leap, landed in a crouch and seamlessly transitioned to a shoulder roll. He brought his cape up, holding it in his left hand; hiding his body, and the batarangs in his right hand he had retrieved from his belt. He was in a room that held one occupant. Another of the alien beings like those who had kidnapped the girl was standing behind a console that rose to chest level. His surprise at seeing someone else emerge from the vortex was evident in the way he froze, not knowing what to do. That momentary surprise was all Batman needed; he was moving once again, running in a quick sprint and launching himself at the alien in a flying kick. He hit his target in the chest and quickly dropped to the ground with him placing him in a choke hold. Quick, easy, and silent; Batman rose from the ground hoping what would normally have a human unconscious for a while would do the same to this being.

The room wasn't large; it seemed to fill the purpose of controlling the vortex. A dish with a protruding antenna was on the front of the console and pointed toward a space in the room with a different colored floor. This must be the designated location for the vortex to form, and where the floor transitioned in color must indicate "please stay behind this line until ready." He took a look at the console the alien had been standing behind. Lights blinked across the surface, a few switches, levers, and buttons seemed to make up what appeared to be the equivalent of some kind of keyboard or control panel; and a screen above them displayed what appeared to be an astronomical chart. The display was revolving between a picture of Earth, what could possibly be alien longitude and latitude for Gotham City, and a star chart with a red icon glowing among the whites representing stars. He touched the star chart and it zoomed in from a map of multiple systems, to just one system—Earth's solar system. The red icon held its position, but was now more definitive in shape. It was a ship. He touched the chart once more and it obliged him by zooming in again. This time it showed the exact location of the ship, in orbit behind Earth's moon. He settled for this visual information since translating the alien script would take time he didn't currently have. He needed to start investigating the rest of the ship to see just how many of the kidnapped victims were aboard. Once he found them, if he found them, then he would need to find a way back to Earth. He viewed the one door that would give him an exit from the room. Unlike Clark, he didn't have x-ray vision; and there was no telling what was behind that door. It could be a corridor full of more aliens. Unknown odds weren't unfamiliar to him; but he preferred having the upper hand whenever possible. He looked up and examined the ceiling and walls. There, a vent large enough for him to crawl through was only a short leap off the floor.

He leapt up and used finger strength to hold on to the grid cover. He worked his fingers in through the square spaces, braced his feet against the wall, and tugged. The vent cover came off and he held on to it as his feet lightly landed on the floor. One more leap up and he landed feet first inside the duct. He wormed his way forward while keeping the vent cover in his hands. Once his head and shoulders were inside the duct he carefully pulled on the vent cover and replaced it in its proper place. He was able to maneuver his body around so that he could crawl forward head first. The duct was large enough for him to just barely hold his weight on his knees if needed. He proceeded in this crouched position to explore his new surroundings. He was able to breath without effort. He didn't know if this was the normal settings for the aliens, or if they had reset their ship's atmospheric conditions to meet the needs of their kidnapped victims. He viewed the aliens in his memory; seeing the three he had pursued through the vortex, as well as the one he had just left in the vortex control room. They all had the height and build of an average human. He had been able to knock out the one in the control room with the same means he would have used on a human. They were humanoid in appearance with two arms and two legs. Their skin tone varied between slightly different shades of blue or purple. This could indicate any one of a variety of things: ethnicity, maturity or age, gender, maybe they weren't even the same species. Their ears (one on each side of their head like a human) were extended to a slight point in the manner an elf is often depicted. Their nose was on the front of their face like a human, and although it had basically the same shape it was slightly larger. Two eyes faced front, the same as any human or primate. The one he had encountered in the control room had yellow or slightly greenish eyes; he hadn't been close enough to notice those of the kidnappers'. Cranial ridges protruded slightly from their head, and all of them had dark hair.

Batman continued his journey through his new maze with all senses on alert. He had passed a couple of different turn offs, but decided to remain on his current course until and unless something, or someone, made a reason for a change. A reason showed itself. Another vent cover was just a few feet in front of him; the end of this particular duct. He brought himself slowly and silently to peer through it. It was too small to be a regular corridor. Though it was larger than the duct he was currently crawling through, it was still too small to stand fully upright inside. It must be a maintenance tube of some kind. He decided to remain in the duct as his chances of being spotted would only increase if he was to exit. He once again squirmed his body around and turned his head in the direction he had come. He would crawl to the most recent duct off shoot he had passed and set a new course. He arrived at the intersection and paused for a moment to rest. He resumed his journey for just a few minutes before pausing to listen. Ahead was another vent cover, but this one was on the side of the duct wall rather the end of the duct itself. He turned his head to peer through and looked down into what he surmised as the ship's engine room. Large pieces of machinery hummed and shrieked as alien attendants were either stationed at them, or walked past making periodic checks to ensure all was in normal operating condition. Batman watched the activity for a few more minutes trying to gather whatever intelligence he could that may be useful, and then he began his forward crawl once again.

This duct also ended at a maintenance tunnel, but this time Batman decided to make his exit. He paused in silence for a few minutes to familiarize himself with sights, sounds, and smells; and then just as silently pushed the vent cover forward to give himself an exit. He maintained his hold on the cover as he wormed his way out of the cramped duct and into the wider tunnel. He replaced the cover, and took a moment to stretch his body after being in such small spaces for the past day, having taken brief naps periodically. He didn't know how large the ship was, how much ground he had covered, or where his current location was. He moved down from his crouch to his hands and knees to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling, and once again began to crawl. Digital panels and screens were situated at various intervals on this route. He used these to finally get a basic readout of the ship and his current position. He identified the engine room on the ship schematic, and his current position in relation to that. This was all basic information which appeared to be available to anyone so he doubted he was setting off any alarms. Of course, by now the alien in the vortex room had probably regained consciousness and sounded an alarm of some kind. Batman knew he had lost his first advantage, they would know he was on the ship, but as long as he continued to tread carefully they wouldn't know where. At least, he hoped so.

He arrived at a door. He paused to consider his options. He could remain hiding in the ducts and tunnels, but that limited his movement and his intelligence gathering. If he went through this door there was no telling what was on the other side, and he would be in the open; but he decided to accept that risk. To the side of the door was a panel with a button he guessed was an open/close switch. He readied his body to pounce on anyone who could be on the other side, and pushed the button. The door opened to an empty corridor and Batman quickly made his exit, and just as quickly chose a direction and moved forward. He heard voices ahead speaking in the alien language and ducked into another corridor intersecting his current one. The aliens passed without glancing to the side, immersed in their conversation with each other. He continued his journey waiting for someone to come out of any of the many doors he was passing. He turned with the curve of the corridor and saw a door much larger than the rest. The ones he had been passing were taller than they were wide, and appeared to be a single pane. His guess was living quarters; and if everyone was at work it would explain why he hadn't encountered anyone aside from the two he had passed. This door was different. It was large enough to drive a mid-sized pickup through, and it seemed to be built more solidly than the residential doors. It appeared thicker, along with being wider and taller than the crew quarters doors. He needed more intelligence; he pushed the button and the door began to open with a release of air and a slight hum.

Batman rushed inside and leaped to his left behind some shelves. He was in a cargo bay of some kind. Several aliens were busy checking crates and containers of various sizes, shapes, and colors. No one bothered to look up at the sound of the door opening or closing. Batman maintained his position behind the shelves just long enough to spot his next hiding place; a pallet stacked wide and tall with more containers. He moved quickly to his new location and peeked around the corner of the stack. A shuttle sat on what must have been a designated landing pad; the floor was painted in separate colors from the rest of the bay, much like the vortex control room had been at the "stay clear" line. The shuttle had a back door lowered as a ramp. He needed to get inside and look at the controls. If it was manageable, this could be one of the ways he could escape back to Earth. The aliens seemed to be finished with their inspections of the containers, and left the bay through the same door Batman had just used moments earlier. He took a minute to look and listen around the room. Shelves and more crates lined the walls on all sides, but no sound or sight of aliens was detected. He slipped out of his hiding place and up the shuttle ramp.

He made his way forward to the cockpit and looked over the layout. A pilot and copilot seat sat adjacent to each other at the front looking out the forward window. Behind them were two more chairs, each currently facing a wall lined with screens and controls, but able to be swiveled to look forward if desired. The back of the shuttle could accommodate cargo with its wide floor space; but also passengers if necessary as indicated by simple seats lining the walls, currently flipped up similar to seats in a theater. He turned his attention back to the cockpit controls and withdrew a small camera from his belt. Thought he had a photographic memory, he had been taking pictures throughout his time on board as part of his intelligence gathering. It would make it easier for other people to analyze. His ears perked up under his mask as he heard the slightest of sounds. He put his camera back in his belt, and with the same hand withdrew a batarang as he spun around to face the source of the sound. The door to the cargo bay hadn't opened, Batman would have heard it. The alien who had come up behind Batman must have been working behind one of the large pallet stacks; and he was startled to find a stranger on the shuttle. He spoke in his alien language while holding his hands in front of him in a plea for Batman to withhold whatever assault he was going to unleash. What came next surprised Batman.

"You are human?" The alien asked in accented English. "You are the intruder the ship alert has been sounded?" Batman didn't answer, but he discerned the alien wasn't a current threat; something which could change in an instant, and for which Batman would be equally instantly prepared. The alien took Batman's silence, as well as his lack of movement, as precautionary permission to continue. "I learn language yours as part of mission. You, you come for little humans; for children?"

Batman nodded and spoke, "Do you know where they are?"

"Yes," the alien let his head fall and lowered his chin as he continued, "I not like taking little humans. I say it bad, we should do not; THEY will come. THEY promise they come if we hurt Earth."

"Who are 'THEY'?"

The alien looked up at Batman and began a brief explanation, "Long time ago, before my fore father fore father, we spread war and take planets. Then, THEY came and stopped our spreading of war. We had war with them. Both sides lose bad. We lose worse. We promise to stop war spread. They draw lines in stars on maps and say, if we ever cross lines they will return and spread war on us. It has been really long time, and everyone thinks they disappear from galaxy; so leaders decide to once again spread war. We cross lines in stars, and now we are here. I worry, THEY might not be gone; maybe come back."

"Can you help me free the children?"

The alien nodded, "I help. I get others think like me, they help."

Batman followed the alien out of the shuttle and to a wall schematic of the ship. The alien pointed to their current location, and then to the location of the children. It wasn't far, it was down a couple levels, but at least it wasn't on the complete other side of the ship.

"You stay here. I and others think like me get children and bring you."

As helpful and sincere as the alien sounded, Batman still didn't trust him. He had no reason to trust him. Nothing would prevent the alien from running off and sounding the alarm to Batman's position as soon as he exited the cargo bay. Batman needed him close to keep an eye on him. "I go."

They made their way out of the heavy door of the cargo bay and continued down the corridor a little further until the alien brought them to a door wider than crew quarters, but much smaller than the heavy cargo bay entrance. The alien pushed the button to open the door and a ship elevator was revealed. The alien withdrew a small device from his belt and quickly spoke into it. A voice answered him and they conversed in the alien language.

"Friend mine, with children. He say he help us, but condition one."

"What condition?"

"We go with you to Earth. If we found to help children escape, we die."

Batman nodded his agreement and they proceeded to enter the elevator. The alien pushed a button on a wall panel to take them to the correct level, the doors closed, and they began a quick decent. Due to the level being only a couple down from their previous position, the journey took all of a dozen seconds. Batman braced himself, ready for a fight as the doors opened. Approximately thirty feet ahead of them, two guards stood to either side of a door. They turned their heads to see who was coming from the elevator. They weren't expecting a dark clothed figure to rush them while simultaneously releasing something from his hand. They reached for holstered weapons, but before the weapons could be withdrawn the far guard had his head hit by a batarang; and the near guard was met with a kick to the head. Both were temporarily out of commission. Batman's companion ran up to him and quickly pushed the door release button. He rushed inside followed by Batman. They were met by another alien, and a dozen human children. Everyone quickly exited the room and made their way back the same way Batman and his alien companion had just come. The same dozen seconds to ascend the necessary levels, and they rushed to the cargo bay. Thankfully, it was still empty; and they all rushed on board the shuttle.

The first alien spoke to Batman, "I supposed to go to other ships for supply. It be ok to leave. Ship not shoot us."

"Other ships?"

"Yes, rest of fleet at edge of system. We scout for them. Tell them when ready to spread battle on your planet, and take it."

"Then let's move."

The second alien had been busy helping the children into the seats in the rear hold of the shuttle. Not all of them fit into the restraining belts as the seats were built for adults, and some of the children were young and small. It would have to do. The first alien settled into the pilot seat and began communicating with what must have been a launch control officer. Everyone was nervous, and some of the children were shaking and beginning to cry. The older children as well as the second alien tried their best to comfort and console the ones who were crying. The pilot spoke to Batman after he had finished his communication, "We go."

Doors even larger than the ones giving entrance to the cargo bay from the ship corridor began to open as the shuttle slowly lifted off. They cleared the ship and were greeted with a sight of the moon no humans except astronauts had ever seen. It had been two days since Batman had leaped into the vortex. The shuttle began a course which would appear to take it to the outer edges of the system, and not directly back to Earth. Suddenly, the shuttle communications began sounding and the pilot began rapidly speaking in his native language. He looked at Batman, "We trouble." The shuttle shook as weapon fire from the ship hit its shields.

"They know we have children! They kill us!"

"Get us out of here!"

The alien began to execute evasive maneuvers as best he could with a cargo shuttle, while simultaneously pushing switches on a console. He finished his task, and pushed a lever forward. The stars, moon, and Earth all disappeared in a streak of light. They had jumped into hyperspace. Alarms sounded on board and were quickly silenced by the pilot. Lights dimmed and the entire shuttle was bathed in red light to remind everyone of the silent alarms. Batman looked out the window at the streaks of starlight passing them. He now had no choice but to trust the pilot; the lives of everyone on the shuttle were in his hands.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _National City_

Kara was in her office in the CatCo headquarters building when James Olsen walked in.

"How'd the interview with Grayson go?"

"I'm putting finishing touches on it now. There is so much more to him than a typical billionaire. Did you know he owns his own circus?"

"What, he just enjoys clowns so much he went and bought a circus?"

"No, when Dick Grayson was a boy he and his family were acrobats and trapeze artists with Haly's Circus. His parents died in a circus accident and Dick was left an orphan. That's when Bruce Wayne took him in."

"Wayne adopted him after the accident?"

"No, Bruce Wayne just became his legal guardian; and Dick's official title was 'Ward.' It's actually only been a recent occurrence in Dick's adulthood that Bruce Wayne officially adopted him."

"Why adopt an adult?"

"Sentimental reasons I guess. It happens more often than you realize. I remember one instance where four siblings who were all married with families of their own were adopted by their step dad. He had married their widowed mom when they were senior citizens, and they all loved each other so much it was just one more way he could demonstrate his love for all of them."

"Huh, guess you're never too old for love."

"I thought it was so sweet when I read that in the paper years ago; I never forgot it."

"What's that have to do with owning a circus?"

"Oh, right; well, after his parents died and he became Bruce Wayne's ward, the circus went on without him. He stayed in Gotham City and the circus continued traveling around the country, and even a few international appearances too. A few years ago he reconnected with Haly's Circus and found out it was on its last legs. He couldn't just sit by while his "extended family" was in need, so he bought it. Haly's still travels and performs today."

"Huh, what else?"

"Imagine, if you will," Kara began with a wave of her hand and a smile to add flourish to this part of the story, "you are an orphan and you have a falling out with your legal guardian. What do you do?"

James let out a breath and leaned against the wall as he took a sip of the coffee he had been holding. "Hmm, I guess the typical answer is run away."

"Yes, but to where?"

"From what you've told me, I think this is one instance where saying 'the circus' isn't a stretch."

"WRONG!" Kara exclaimed with a jubilant laugh and fist pump, showing her excitement in being able to stump her boss. "I mean, you're right it's not a stretch. I'd guess that too, but that guess is wrong." She said smiling.

"Ok, you got me. Where does a former circus performer turned heir to a billionaire run off to?"

"He isn't just Richard Grayson, heir to the Wayne Fortune and Wayne Enterprises; but also," she paused and pointed her finger for emphasis, "Sergeant Richard Grayson, of the Bludhaven Police Department Reserves." Her smile finally did go away. "I couldn't believe it when he told me."

James looked at her and shook his head in amazement, "Some people are full of surprises. Will that be ready for tomorrow's edition?"

She clicked her mouse. "It's in your inbox."

Dick had filled Clark in on all that happened in the past week, and the kidnappings that had been occurring for the past couple of months. If there were aliens working on Earth like that Clark decided the D.E.O. needed to be informed. Dick told him of the escapade into D.E.O. headquarters. Clark sighed and shook his head. "Ok, the D.E.O. is an ally so from here on out they'll be treated like one. I'll set up a meet and let you know where and when." With that the two friends had parted for the time being.

Winslow Schott Jr. sat at his computer in D.E.O. headquarters trying to make sense of everything he knew about what had happened a couple nights ago. Of course, Winslow Schott was a mouthful; so he introduced himself to everyone with an abbreviated nickname.

J'onn J'onzz was the director of the D.E.O. and came up behind him. "Give me some good news, Winn."

"The National City Sharks made some excellent draft picks." J'onn looked down at him with a glare that should have shot lasers. His African American complexion was unreadable, other than him not being in the mood for Winn's wise cracks. Winn slumped his shoulders and sighed, "I got nothing. We have a random EMP that blacks out the systems, and our entire databased is uploaded and sent somewhere; but there is no trace of who, how, where, or why."

"Keep at it."

"Director J'onzz." J'onn turned toward the voice of one of his agents and saw what had gotten his attention. Through the window floated a man in a blue uniform with red boots and red cape. J'onn greeted his old ally.

"Superman, what brings you here?"

"I need to speak to you privately."

J'onn and Superman stood on a dark rooftop waiting for the arrival of a third person. Instead, they welcomed two people. J'onn shook his head and smiled, "Nightwing, it's been a long time."

Nightwing returned the smile and a handshake, "Sure has. Sorry about the other night, we didn't know this was your cover."

"Yeah," the second newcomer spoke up with his own smile, "but it was still fun."

"Fun? Do you have any idea how much money and resources could have been damaged?"

"Uh, actually, no."

"Robin, aren't you supposed to be the smart one?"

"Hey now," Nightwing broke in, "how can you say that after knowing me longer?"

"I can say that because I've known you longer."

Superman stepped into the friendly exchange. There would be more time to play catch up later, but for now they needed to discuss business. "I filled J'onn in."

"No idea what happened to Batman?"

Nightwing shook his head, "none."

"Ok, well now that we know about the alien threat, the D.E.O. can be on the lookout. We'll maintain scans of orbit, the solar system, and deep space as best we can. We should also let other agencies know about your lead connecting the children; or rather their parents."

"I'll have Oracle send you all the intel we have so far."

"Sounds good. Anything else?"

Superman spoke up again, "Actually, I have something else." He turned to Nightwing, "It seems my cousin had a small run in with Batgirl."

Nightwing smiled, "I'll tell her to take it easy next time."

J'onn looked around, "Speaking of Batgirl?"

"She got bored sitting around. She's out looking for some heads to knock together." Robin informed them.

"If I'm ever in Gotham, I provide your boss with a courtesy head's up. I'd appreciate the same in return."

Nightwing nodded, "Will d—" he was interrupted by a call over their comms.

"What is it?" Superman asked.

"Batgirl. She's found something." He paused and added with another smile, "care to give us a lift?"

J'onn J'onzz smiled as he nodded, and within seconds a red light seemed to envelop him. The disguise of his human body transformed into his true appearance; the green skinned sole survivor of the planet Mars—the Martian Manhunter. He lifted Nightwing easily with his super strength, "hang on," and flew into the air.

Before Superman took him in a similar manner Robin spoke up, "That never gets old." The two Gotham Knights were soon flying over National City, each held by an alien who had adopted Earth as their home.

Moments earlier, Batgirl had been on another patrol of the city. She had landed on one rooftop overlooking a dark alley. She had not seen Supergirl tonight, but that fact had no bearing on the mission she had given herself. She had already interrupted a mugging, and an attempted murder. Both thugs were now in police custody. Of course, when the police arrived they only found unconscious criminals; and victims telling them unbelievable stories about some ninja in a mask and cape who rescued them. Right now however, Batgirl's attention was drawn to a meeting of several suspicious looking individuals in the alley below. In the alley with them were two white, unmarked, panel vans. The back doors were soon opened and children brought out from each van, bound and gagged. "Batgirl to Nightwing, I found something." She relayed her coordinates and swung down from the rooftop, a bat flying towards its prey.

A dozen men of various sizes and ethnicities turned toward the newcomer who had just dropped from the sky. One of them lifted a knife and a smile, "Well, boys, looks like we'll have some extra fun tonight." A batarang knocked the knife out of his hands and his smile turned to a shout of pain. "Get her!"

The three closest rushed. She knew what they would do before they did. Body language was her first language. She met the first attacker with a hard punch to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and doubling him over. She moved to the second. The gun in his hand was knocked to the alley floor with a right crescent kick; she landed and followed up with a front thrust kick connecting her heel with his nose. Blood gushed and he grabbed his face in pain. The third attacker grabbed her shoulder, and was promptly flipped over it with a Judo throw. She returned her attention to the first attacker and knocked him unconscious with a karate chop to the neck. The second attacker hadn't recovered from his sudden broken nose; but he would have time to recover from that later, as well as the concussion he received from Batgirls roundhouse kick to his head. The third attacker picked himself up from where he had been thrown and ran at her a second time. He punched. He missed. Batgirl dodged and caught his arm, twisting it and bringing her knee up as she drove his arm down. He screamed and dropped to the ground in pain, nursing his arm that was now broken in several places.

The rest of the group stood there staring in shock. The man who had previously spoken had recovered from the pain of the batarang knocking the knife out of his hand and gave another command. "GET HER! KILL HER!"

Three thugs were down for the count, the illustrious leader was obviously one who led from the rear and stayed behind, and two more men kept the children pressed against the vans. She returned her attention to the immediate threat. Six against one; too bad there weren't better odds, they could use them. They didn't know that. Batgirl caught the first new attacker and flipped him into the alley wall with a Judo throw. She jumped to get a little height and connected a hard hammer fist to the temples of two attackers coming up on both sides of her. That rang their bells, causing them to stumble; and opening the way for Batgirl to meet the linebacker built man coming at her next. She dropped low and spun, pivoting on her left foot as she used her right leg to sweep Mr. Linebacker's feet from under him. The next two kept their distance and pulled guns from the waistbands of their pants. Too bad for them their intended victim was also armed. Batarangs flew from her hands and hit theirs. They each dropped their guns and grabbed their gun hands in pain with their opposite hands. One of the dropped guns fired a round when it hit the ground. Its untargeted victim was one of the children who grabbed their leg and dropped to the ground in screams of agony.

Batgirl paused for just a second in time. It was her responsibility to ensure the victims were kept safe. She had failed. Now, she was angry. Beneath her mask her nostrils flared, her eyes narrowed, and her teeth clenched. Her hands tightened into fists. The only noise she made was a feral growl. She charged. She thrust an open hand into the throat of the man on her left in a Kung Fu technique known as a Tiger Mouth. He went down gagging in an attempt to breathe. The man on her right attempted to hit her with his uninjured hand. It wasn't uninjured after that. Batgirl caught it, twisted it, and hyperextended it causing his elbow to lock. She hit the locked elbow with an uppercut. His agonizing yell in reaction to his now broken arm didn't spare him. She shuffle stepped inside his guard and let loose with a rapid repetition of Wing Chun chain punches to his center line. He lost his balance and fell backwards. His head hit the ground hard, knocking him out. The man who was trying to breathe after her Tiger Mouth attack looked up at her. His eyes went wide as her boot connected with his face in a side kick. He would be out for the rest of the night.

Mr. Linebacker picked himself up and ran at her. She dodged, dropped low to put spring in her legs, and jumped high. Her Taekwondo Axe Kick connected with his temple. He went black before his body hit the ground. The man she had thrown against the wall most recently brushed himself off and came alongside the two whose temples had been hit with her hammer fists. The three of them walked toward her, emboldened by their anger and seeing red. The smart move would have been to run while they could. Batgirl surmised they weren't the brightest crayons in the box. Behind her, a bright light suddenly appeared. She risked a quick glance in that direction to see a shining vortex of some kind where the alley's dead end wall had been previously. Three beings stepped from the vortex and into the alley. They continued forward as they pointed weapons at Batgirl. They fired. Batgirl saw a blur of red and blue move in front of her vision. The plasma blasts from the weapons didn't hit Batgirl. Instead they connected in the center of a big red "S."

Supergirl looked down at the symbol on her chest as if someone had just hit her with a paper airplane instead of hot plasma. She looked up at the three intruders. "Great, now I'm going to need to wash it. Do you have any idea how much dry cleaning costs these days?"

Obviously, they didn't care; they opened fire again in rapid succession. They hit Supergirl dead center every time. She just stood there, crossed her arms, let out a sigh, and took the full brunt of their attack. "Finished yet?" They ceased fire realizing they had come up against an opponent for whom they were unprepared. They turned and began running back toward the vortex. They stopped and froze, looking at the man who stood in their way.

"Need a hand, cous?"

"Not really, but never let it be said I'm selfish and hog all the fun."

Superman placed his hands on his hips, took a brief inhale, and blew the alien intruders off their feet with a his super breath. They picked themselves up and ran in the opposite direction, straight into Martian Manhunter. He grabbed the heads of the two immediately in front of him and knocked them together with a force that resulted in an audible crack, and they slumped to the ground. The third stood frozen, and shaking in fear. Martian Manhunter just stared at him; and the alien dropped to his knees as his body convulsed, and then he grabbed his head in pain and let out a yell of terror as J'onn's psychic attack showed him his worst fear. The alien rocked in a fetal position on the ground. The three men who had been about to attack Batgirl suddenly decided the odds weren't in their favor (not that they had ever been even before the arrival of super beings) and turned around to run. That decision came too late; in front of them stood Nightwing and Robin with their arms crossed over their chests. The three criminals made the wisest decision they had made in a long time. They raised their hands in surrender and dropped to their knees voluntarily. Only three human criminals remained; the leader, and the two with the children. They too chose the same wise path as their partners.

Batgirl rushed to the child who had been shot by the stray bullet from the dropped gun. Blood was pouring from the wound, and the child's painful screams had quieted to raspy breathing as her eyes closed in unconsciousness from blood loss. Supergirl arrived and lifted the child from Batgirl's arms. "I got her. She'll be safe." Supergirl flew into the night sky and towards the nearest trauma center faster than any helicopter or air ambulance was able.

Martian Manhunter used his psychic ability to look into the minds of the aliens. "That vortex is a portal that leads to a ship in orbit around the moon."

Superman looked from Martian Manhunter to the portal. "Let's invite ourselves over for a late night snack, shall we." He and Martian Manhunter flew into the portal just as it closed.

With the light provided by the portal extinguished, the alley was once again dark. The six remaining criminals who had surrendered moments before looked at one another, silently questioning if the odds were now more even with the super beings gone. "Please," Robin spoke up with a smile, "do something foolish." The six criminals chose to disappoint him by remaining still, with their hands now resting on their heads.

Nightwing spoke, "Oracle, contact local police and the D.E.O. We have some early Christmas presents for them." Nightwing shifted his attention up, and looked at the moon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _Lunar Orbit, Earth's Moon_

Superman and Martian Manhunter flew through the portal and arrived on the alien ship. The alien manning the portal controls was taken completely by surprise. He reached for a button on the console in front of him but Superman closed the distance with super speed and grabbed his wrist. A super tap on the head knocked him cold. Martian Manhunter completed a psychic scan of the alien's mind, and then he and Superman walked out of the portal room. They had no need for the clandestine approach; they would take a more straight forward path. Superman used his x-ray vision to look through floors, walls, and ceilings. He pointed up.

The floor of the ship's bridge exploded upward. Crew standing nearby were thrown to the floor from the impact of Superman's impromptu entrance. His eyes glowed red.

"If you have escape pods, I suggest you use them." Lasers shot from his eyes as he utilized his heat vision to target various bulkheads and computer stations. Sparks erupted into small electrical fires all around the bridge. He felt the impact of weapon blasts hit his back. He turned unharmed to face the attack. "I am Kal-El of Krypton. You can call me Superman. I am Earth's protector; if you want to invade my planet and kidnap innocent children you have to go through me." He walked toward the blasts continuing from their weapons. "I'm doing you a favor and taking it easy on you, but if you don't leave Earth's solar system that will change." He grabbed the weapons by the barrels and squeezed them shut, rendering them useless. Their users looked with shock and shaking hands at the being in front of them. They dropped their weapons and ran.

Martian Manhunter reached out telepathically, " _Superman."_

 _"What is it J'onn?"_

 _"I've been searching the ship, both physically and telepathically; I can detect no humans on board. Most of the crew is abandoning ship."_

 _"Let me know when everyone is off. Can you operate the portal?"_

 _"Yes. I was able to retrieve the proper operations protocol from the alien we first encountered in the portal room. He is still unconscious. I am opening a portal directly into D.E.O. headquarters and will transport him back there for questioning."_

 _"See if you can access any other information, either from his mind or the ship's computers, and get a location for Batman. If he isn't on this ship we need to know where he is."_

 _"Understood."_

Once Martian Manhunter informed Superman the ship had been emptied of occupants, and he and his prisoner were safely back on Earth; Superman disabled the ship by finding anything that looked important (particularly the engines) and shutting them down using his various powers. This wasn't a delicate surgical attack. Superman ripped out consoles, froze pipes with his breath, cut conduits with his heat vision, and sometimes resorted to just good old fashioned punching and kicking—super strength punching and kicking. Once satisfied no system on the ship could be used to harm Earth, Superman flew at super speed right through the hull and set a course for his adopted planet; using his various super senses to search for any other threats on his way. He paused a few times in mid flight to let the aliens in the escape pods see him, and make sure they remembered just who it was they were actually dealing with if they decided to proceed with hostilities. He landed at D.E.O. headquarters several minutes later and was met by J'onn J'onzz who had morphed back into his human form.

"The police have arrived at the alley where this evening's activities started and taken the men into custody. Our prisoner from the ship is in a cell here and we'll interrogate him in a few minutes. I've also sent a request through proper channels for the alien in Gotham City Police custody to be transferred here. We're better prepared to handle him than a typical jail cell is."

"Have you heard from Supergirl?"

Winn answered that question, "Yeah, she called a few minutes ago. She made it to the hospital and the doctors have taken that kid into immediate surgery. Hopefully, she got there in time."

Superman nodded and turned back to J'onn, "What about our other friends? Any word from them?"

"Not yet."

"Other? Friends?" Winn looked from Superman to J'onn and back again. "What other friends? Supergirl didn't mention anyone else."

"They prefer to keep a low profile," J'onn replied. "Winn, start running satellite scans of the entire solar system as best you can. Keep an eye on the escape pods. See who, if anyone, shows up to rescue them; and search for any other ships that may try to be hiding. You scanned the portal I arrived from to get here?"

"Uh, yeah." Winn responded with a look that read, 'duh.' "Some freaky looking bright light just randomly starts shining in the middle of the room—you bet I'm recording it for posterity."

"Good. Use the energy signature from those scans and see if you can find any more like it on the planet." Winn turned toward his computer station as it started beeping. "What is it?"

"Uhmm, someone is sending us a message. Video is included," he added with an interested look and impressed nod."

"Let's see it."

On the screen appeared a digital wire frame head which started speaking to the two men who had just returned from space. "Superman, J'onn." A robotic woman's voice came over the speakers, "it's good to see you again."

Winn looked from the computer monitor to the pair standing behind him, "You guys know her, I take it?"

Superman ignored Winn's comments, "Oracle, one of these days we should get together just for fun. No crime or planet saving required."

"Come on over, you know the address. I'm sending the information we've collected to the D.E.O. database."

"Uh, ok," Winn started, "Since my boss isn't sounding any alarms I'm guessing you're a good guy…gal…robot?" No response. "Anyway, I'll lower the security shields annndd…you've already done that." Winn was speechless for a few seconds, a rare occurrence, and spread his hands and nodded in a dual gesture of amazement and impressment. "Uh, yeah, transmission received."

Director J'onzz spoke up, "Thanks, Oracle; we'll send it out to law enforcement and security agencies at all levels and keep them in the loop."

"Please, J'onn," the mysterious voice spoke with a hint of amusement, "do you really think so little of my ability to plan ahead?"

"Apparently so, and I'm reminded time and again just how wrong I am," J'onn replied with a smile. "How do you want us to get in touch with you if we find anything?"

"I'll contact you. Oracle out." The transmission ended and the digital wire frame face disappeared.

Winn turned back to face Superman and J'onn and spoke again, "Ya know, sometimes I get the feeling I'm out of the loop." He was ignored as the two men walked away from the main room and toward the area of the building where the D.E.O. kept aliens incarcerated for attempts at harming Earth or its citizens. "Case and point," Winn spoke to no one as he leaned back in his chair with a sigh and raised his hands in surrender.

 _Somewhere in Space_

Batman sat in the co-pilot seat of the shuttle. He was staring at the controls without seeing them, his mind deep in thought. He turned to the pilot. "Tell me more about the beings who fought your people and made you sign the treaty."

"That was long long time ago. They disappeared for long time, no one see them."

"So you've said. Do they have a name?"

"Uhhm, I think you word is protector. Uhmm, I no think of good word to translate. In my language they are the _Ni-en Kun—_ the Light Soldiers."

"How did these Light Soldiers defeat your people?"

"Ohh, they very powerful. Legend say they have powerful ships, and some legend say they just use light from hands to fight."

"Plasma or laser rifles of some kind?"

"No, no weapons, just hands."

Batman nodded as he processed this information. He looked at the controls again, "we've been out here for four days. Our life support is holding steady, but our rations are almost gone."

"Yes, when engine was hit by weapon it would be much effort to repair; changing energy to life support instead good idea. But no more food. Not supposed to be on long mission, just short distance to other ships."

Just then, the shuttle lights dimmed and an alarm started beeping.

"What's that?" Batman asked.

"Life support just go bad."

 _Earth, D.E.O. Headquarters, National City_

Winn sat at his computer station processing all the information the satellites were feeding him. He tapped his hands on his lap to a song in his head when a voice spoke behind him.

"What's been happening?"

"Supergirl, welcome back. How's the kid?"

"Still in surgery. The doctors are doing their best, but it was a pretty ugly wound." She pointed toward his computer monitor, "what are you looking for?"

"Anything and everything. I've calibrated our satellites to search for any signatures of the alien portals on Earth, and I'm keeping tabs on Outer Space to see if any more ships try to sneak in."

"Seen anything?"

"Superman put the ship behind the moon out of commission and the crew abandoned ship in escape pods. A couple ships came and picked up the survivors, but they just left after that was done. Other than that, nothing."

Supergirl took a closer look at the monitor, "What's that?"

"Uh, that is…I don't know. Wait, it's a ship. It's a really small signature so maybe just a small ship, but a ship none the less."

"Where is it?"

"Just outside the asteroid belt that's between Mars and Jupiter."

"I'll go check it out. Let J'onn and Superman know."

"You got it."

Supergirl walked out to the balcony, took a breath, and flew upward faster than a speeding bullet. She breached the upper atmosphere of Earth and floated in orbit momentarily while she got her bearings. Using her super telescopic vision she scanned the asteroid field until she found her target. The radiation from the yellow sun extended to the entire solar system and her powers would be available to her out there just as they were on Earth. She didn't hesitate as she used her super speed and ability to defy gravity to travel at unprecedented velocity toward the asteroid belt.

Back at the D.E.O. Winn had called Superman and J'onn over to his station. J'onn took a look at Winn's monitor. "What is it? More ships picking up survivors?"

"No, the last of those was an hour ago. It looks like there's a small ship just on this side of the asteroid belt."

"Give me the coordinates."

"I can go and see what it is," Superman offered.

"Supergirl is already on her way," Winn informed them.

Supergirl kept alert as she approached the shuttle. She didn't see any other ships in the vicinity, but she remained cautious. Using her x-ray vision she looked inside and was surprised and shocked to find the shuttle full of human children, a couple aliens, and the man who must be the friend of Clark's—Batman.

Several of the children were drifting in and out of consciousness as the life support dimmed. Their stomachs rumbled from hunger, but they were too exhausted to cry. Batman clenched his fist in anger. He had failed to protect them. He rescued them from alien abductors only to let them die in space where they would never be found. He felt the shuttle move, a slight shake. He looked out the window. The last thing he expected to see was a welcome sight. Supergirl gave him a smile, a wave, and a salute before returning to the rear of the shuttle to begin pushing it home. They were going to make it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _Gotham City_

Cameras, both traditional and cell phones, clicked and flashed as they pointed at the man standing in front of them. Bruce Wayne was dressed in a business suit that probably cost more than most of these reporters made in several months. His tall figure and dark hair framed his blue eyes and friendly smile. Microphones and recording devices of various kinds and sizes were pressed forward to catch his words.

"I really enjoyed my time in the Caribbean. If you've never had a chance to cruise on a good old fashioned sailing yacht, no engine except for emergencies mind you, you should add it to your bucket list. The sun, the sea, the sail—ah, invigorating. And of course, having lovely company along for the ride is always an added bonus."

The cover story concocted to cover his absence, not just from Gotham City but the Earth itself, had been put into place after his rescue and subsequent return a few days prior.

"Mr. Wayne!" Reporters called clamoring for his attention to their question, "what are your comments on Mr. Grayson forming a merger with L Corp?"

"Well, you don't actually think I'm completely blind to what my businesses do when I'm gone, do you?" He asked with a smile, "I said I was sailing without an engine, you don't expect me to leave satellite internet and communication behind. We aren't in the Stone Age anymore you know." His comment brought polite, albeit light, laughter from the assembled crowd, "Dick was in contact with me, and even though I wasn't here in person I gave the go ahead personally. Now, I've made it clear in the past that Wayne Enterprises and Lex Corp don't enjoy cooperating with each other; but Lena is shaping up to be somewhat different from her brother, and a little bit of financing for a good cause every once in a while can have advantages." He looked at his watch and then back at the crowd, "that's all for today, thank you."

The reporters continued to shout comments and questions at him as he turned and walked back inside the large international headquarters building for Wayne Enterprises. Their shouts were ignored, and as soon as it was apparent the press conference was truly over, silenced into the normal noise of person to person conversation. Bruce entered the lobby and walked over to an elevator off limits to everyone but those with the code to use it. As the doors closed on his smiling face, he pushed another button hidden in a panel inside the elevator. The rear wall of the elevator opened and quickly shut as he strode into a new passageway. The elevator then remained where it was, but the panel above the doors facing the lobby showed a quick ascension. A short walk down the secret hallway brought him to another door. A tv screen on the wall showed him everything was clear and he exited Wayne Enterprises into a back alley. Alfred was waiting there in the driver's seat of an idling car. As Bruce entered the back seat of the vehicle and closed his door Alfred began driving.

"I presume the press was duly convinced of the continuing escapades of Gotham's favorite billionaire playboy?"

"As best I can tell."

"What's the plan from here?"

"Once the alien Gotham PD had in custody was transferred to the D.E.O. J'onn and Clark were able to convince him to talk. Defense contractors, or those who held large holdings in the companies, were targeted as part of a blackmail scheme. The aliens figured it was better to go to the source of the weapons rather than the holders of them. Once the invasion begins and Earth's militaries mobilize to meet the threat, the aliens hold the children for the ransom price of stop supplying technology and weapons. Once you're out of bullets, no more are coming."

"Dastardly, and brilliant on the surface."

"It was. Now we have targets, holding cells and supply points on Earth, to go after."

"Are you planning on reporting those locations to the proper authorities?"

"Since this particular scenario deals with aliens attacking Earth, the D.E.O. has jurisdiction."

"And naturally, they've asked for some help from….unconventional sources."

"Naturally."

Once Alfred brought the car to a stop at Wayne Manor, Bruce walked through the entrance and over to a grandfather clock standing against a wall. He used his fingers to move the hands on the clock, and with a light click the clock swung outward from the wall revealing stairs leading down into a dimly lit passage. Bruce descended the stairs as the clock closed behind him hiding any hint of anything other than a regular wall. His descent brought him to the Bat Cave. After getting dressed in his "work clothes" Batman sat in front of the large monitor of the computer. He pressed a button on the keyboard and the screen came to life with images of J'onn J'onzz and Supergirl at the D.E.O.

"Batman," J'onn began, "We're organizing the strike force to take down the cells. They're spread around the globe. You've taken care of the one in Gotham and the rest of us had a run in here in National City with another one. A few are just on ships or oil rigs in the middle of the ocean." Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl approached and stood behind Batman as J'onn proceeded to give various locations. "A simultaneous strike," J'onn continued, "would be best if we can get it to work. If we can take out all of them at the same time there won't be a chance of an early warning."

Supergirl spoke up, "Even with international cooperation that's still a lot of firepower to take on. Superman and I can take a plasma blast without a problem, but the rest of you aren't so fortunate."

Batman sat silent for a moment, and then spoke, "J'onn, I think we might need some extra help on this one."

J'onn J'onzz nodded, "I'll send out a telepathic beacon and light the signal fires."

Supergirl looked from J'onn to Batman and back again, "What extra help is there?"

Batman turned and looked at Nightwing. Nightwing smiled and replied to the unspoken order, "Already taken care of."

Batman turned back to the screen. "We're a go."

Several days later Batman sat again in front of the large computer monitor as he digested data from ancient symbols, cultures, and writings that flashed in front of him. Alfred came up behind him carrying a tray with Batman's evening meal. "I take it the raids were a success?"

"Completely. All kidnapped children have been returned to their homes; and as far as we can tell all hostile aliens are either captured and confined, or escaped in small ships off planet."

Alfred set the tray down on a small table, "And what is it that brings your latest archaeological fascination to the forefront?"

"While I was in the shuttle with the aliens and children from the ship, one of the aliens told me planet conquering wasn't new to them. It's just been on hold for some time. Their ancestors apparently initiated a galactic war in an attempt to be the sole rulers of the cosmos."

"And since we've never heard of this galactic conquest, and Earth has its own ancient History with no mention of such a scheme, I take it they were unsuccessful?"

"Eventually, that was the case. They still managed to enslave plenty of planets and solar systems before they were stopped by a powerful army of some kind. Beings who could shoot power from their hands."

"And the research you are conducting is in hopes of actually finding a clue on Earth to these beings?"

"It's a big stretch, I know."

"I believe the popular expression is, a hail marry."

"If there's any clue whatsoever as to who these people are that can shoot light from their hands, we need to get a signal to them before the invasion begins."

"You still think the full invasion will take place?"

"A race bent on conquering the universe doesn't stop just because Plan A didn't work. They'll be back, and this time it won't just be clandestine scout parties. The unknowns are how many, and when."

 _A Distant Planet In Another Solar System_

She stood up and wiped sweat from her brow. The sun was setting and the evening would bring a cool breeze. She turned to survey her day's hard work. The garden was forming beautifully, and soon everything would be in full blossom. Her eyes caught movement of someone running toward her position. She rubbed the dirt from her hands, all four of them. The runner approached and leaned down with his hands on his knees panting in deep breaths from his exertion.

"What is it, Relon?"

Still panting, the new arrival caught his breath enough to answer, "The Kanar, they are once more on the war path!"

She lowered her head and sighed. So, the day had finally come. The galaxy had been at peace for some time, allowing her to pursue gardening as a relaxing hobby. She had not fought the Kanar in their first attempt at galactic conquest. She had heard the stories from her grandfather when she was growing up. As she became an adult she had been chosen to carry on his responsibilities of galactic peace keeper. She and the rest of her teammates from across the stars had pushed themselves to their limits, but the end result had been the eventual diminishing of planet conquerors and system wars to local skirmishes easily handled by more traditional diplomacy and law enforcement. Apparently, good things truly did come to an end.

She looked up, "Thank you, Relon; I will spread the word."

"Does this mean, does this mean?"

She nodded, "The time has come for us to once again rise to serve the oath we took, to protect the galaxy from a new threat. I will send the signal." She walked to her humble house after giving a few quick instructions to Relon. She closed the door behind her and walked to her bedroom. She knelt beside her bed and lifted a small door hidden as part of the floor. Only two objects were contained in the small hidden square. She held the door with an upper arm while reaching down with her two lower arms to bring up the objects she had hoped she would never need again. She lowered the door as she took the smaller object, a ring, and placed it on a finger. She pressed the ring to the second object and spoke words long gone unspoken, "In Brightest Day…" her eyes glowed green.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 _U.S. Air Force Space Command Headquarters, Colorado, USA_

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Grace Jackson sat at her computer station which monitored input from various satellites and space telescopes. The information she was monitoring could also be seen by NASA. One of her monitors showed debris in orbit around Earth, or "space junk" as it was sometimes called. Keeping an eye on this junk was important for international space operations. Flying a shuttle into just a single piece of debris could be hazardous and deadly, just ask Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. For that reason it needed to be tracked; and on the occasion the vector of the debris may show a possible collision with a satellite, the satellite could be remotely steered to clear that hazardous path. That was her current task. It wasn't an immediate threat, the debris wouldn't impact for another hour or two; but a slight adjustment to the satellite's orbit now would keep it clear by a wide margin with no great concern.

Though satellites orbiting Earth mostly pointed down toward the planet and served various functions such as monitoring weather, or global positioning systems, or communications; this particular satellite whose course she was adjusting pointed out. It could keep tabs on deep space probes, and communicate with satellites and exploratory missions still in the solar system; such as those orbiting Mars, Saturn, Pluto, and Venus. Lieutenant Jackson verbalized her task as she performed it which served a dual purpose of keeping everyone else in her immediate vicinity aware of the movement; and also as a way for her colleagues to double check her work to ensure mistakes were kept to a minimum, and in the best case—completely non-existent. "Raising altitude by ten degrees. Adjusting axis by three degrees. Stabilizing position." She double checked her own work before confirming out loud, "Task completed."

To her left Air Force Staff Sergeant Rick Delrio blinked and leaned his head closer to his monitor, opened his mouth and closed it a couple times, blinked, and swallowed…hard. "Lieutenant, you need to see this."

Delrio's monitor showed the feed from the satellite Lieutenant Jackson had just repositioned. Her response was the same as his, including the swallow. "Colonel! Sir, I have…we need…I don't have a checklist for this!"

 _D.E.O. Headquarters, National City_

Supergirl was talking to J'onn, "We have an international alien invasion kidnapping ring; and all the stings are perfectly coordinated with maximum effect, and that includes ships and oil rigs isolated in the middle of the ocean. There's no way every country on that list had the immediate resources to carry out that kind of operation with little to no notice. What help did Batman mean? What telepathic phone call did you make, and who did you call?"

"I wouldn't exactly compare my telepathy to a phone call."

"You know what I mean."

"Look, all I can say is it was highly classified and some of the people involved prefer to keep a low profile."

"Besides Batman, Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl?"

"Yes, besides them."

"And who is this Oracle that Nightwing kept mentioning and that contacted you and Superman here when I was at the hospital? Who is she? Is it a _she_? Winn thinks _it_ might be a robot."

"Oracle is another friend who has helped me in the past, and who works closely with Batman and the others."

They were interrupted by a chiming alarm and a call from Winn, "Uh guys, you need to see this. I think we might be in a little bit of trouble."

Supergirl looked at the monitor, "What is it? What are those?"

J'onn took one glance at the monitor and all the dots that seemed to fill it. "The invasion is starting."

 _Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, U.S.A._

Lieutenant Colonel Hal Jordan sat at his desk. He scratched an itch around his graying temples, a contrast to the rest of his brown hair. He was getting old. Ok, so 38 might not be too old; but he felt older. Today he was going over logistics requests, performance evaluation reports, and other administrative necessary evils that came with being the commander of a squadron of the Air Force's newest F-22 Raptor fighter jets. He looked up at a knock on his open door. He waved in Major Thomas Green, his second in command.

"The sun is bright, the sky is cloudless, and your desk is what beckons you?" Green asked with a smile.

Hal put the logistics request he was currently viewing back on his desk and reclined his chair back slightly, "Tom, I don't know if you know this or not; but for some reason when you ignore your inbox, it gets backlogged."

"Uh, huh, and you do know the cure for that, right?"

"If you're going to tell me you are completely finished with all the paperwork you've been assigned, I will gladly share a load of mine."

"That wouldn't be nice. After Colonel Schmidt even tied a ribbon around it for you, because she cares so much and thought you'd appreciate the gesture. I think you'd hurt her feeling giving away her gifts like that."

Hal held up the blue bow his Group commander had actually stuck on the folders of paperwork when she personally delivered them to his office and dropped on his desk, "She hates me."

Tom slapped his knee and laughed almost to the point of tears, "Are you going to put that in the next command survey?"

"I just might."

Speaking of the devil, Colonel Kristan Schmidt suddenly appeared at his office door with a look of what Hal would describe as calm panic on her face. She said one word. "Scramble."

Hal and Tom were instantly on their feet, all paperwork forgotten. Their immediate concern now was running as fast as they could to their squadron locker room and switch from their Air Force dress blues, to their operational flight suits. The hallway became crowded as it filled with individuals of every rank running to their proper stations. An alarm claxon was loudly sounding accompanied by a loudspeaker voice, "This is not a drill. Scramble. Scramble. This is not a drill."

Another officer shouted above the noise, "Everyone to your aircraft. You'll be briefed on comms." No time wasted with a briefing room, slides, and any other formality. As quick as flight suits could be donned and pilot harnesses placed over them, a dash was made for the standby vehicles that would drive everyone to their jets. Hal was among the first. He climbed the ladder to his cockpit and did a quick once over, trusting his maintenance crew to keep his jet in ready working order. Senior Airman Randy James climbed the ladder after Hal, and with practiced precision helped him buckle into his crash harness and put on his helmet. With a nod and thumbs up from Hal, Randy jumped to the ground and quickly moved the ladder out of the way. Hal switched on his comms and listened with impatience to the briefing.

"Say again," Hal heard the voice giving the briefing, "Hostile aircraft are on approach. They do not match anything we have on record. Attempts at communication have failed to bring a response. Intercept and determine intent. Say again…" Hal heard the looped message but took a quick glance out his cockpit to check on the status of getting airborne. He saw a small munitions tractor pull away, and he glanced forward. Another Airman was standing in front of his F-22, but out of the way, as he held up his hands to show ribbons of various colors hanging from his fingers and fluttering in the wind. Hal gave a thumbs up to signal he understood his Raptor was now armed and dangerous. His canopy lowered and he started to taxi. He passed by the row of maintenance crew offering him a salute, which he returned.

He contacted the air traffic control tower, "Tower, this is Raptor nine four zero one requesting clearance for Runway zero eight two six."

"94 Oh One you are clear."

"94 Oh One in position, ready for takeoff."

"94 Oh One, you are a go for launch. Go get 'em Highball." The Tower relayed utilizing Hal's fighter pilot call sign.

Hal smiled beneath his oxygen mask, and hit the accelerator. This was definitely better than a day in the office, present circumstances for this flight excluded of course. The g-force and thrust of his Raptor's sudden speed pushed him back into his seat. Within a matter of seconds he was clear of the ground, flying over houses, and setting an intercept altitude and course. Another F-22 flew slightly behind and to his left. Tom had been on Hal's heels and taken off right after him. Soon, Hal's whole squadron was in the air and ready to meet all comers. It was time to put all their training to good use. An arsenal of fighter jets launched from their various ground bases around the country. At sea, Navy Aircraft Carriers added their own mix to the fight. Countries around the world were taking to the air to meet this new threat. If it could fly, it was in the sky.

 _Daily Planet Building, Metropolis_

The newsroom was louder than normal as phones rang and voices yelled at various people with various orders. TVs showed footage of aircraft taking off in droves from military bases. The only current information offered by the government was to remain indoors. J'onn's voice sounded inside Clark's head. " _It's here. They're here. The invasion."_

 _"I'm on it."_ Clark walked with a quick stride toward the storage room and opened the door.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Kent. Man this buzz is crazy, right?"

"Uh, hi, Tom. Yeah, crazy."

Tom pointed to his supply cart, "Extra toner for the printers, and paper, pens, cups, filters, and coffee for the drink station; people have me running all over the place."

Clark pretended to look around at the shelves, "Uh, well, I guess it's not in here. I'll check another closet."

He quickly walked toward the stairs for Exit Plan B. Seeing no one close, he jumped down the center space between flights of steps. He landed on the ground floor, ran through the lobby, and out into the busy sidewalks of Metropolis. He turned down an abandoned alley, opened the front of his shirt to reveal his "S," and picked up his pace from hurried pedestrian to a blur of red and blue. Faster than a speeding bullet, Superman was in the sky.

 _Eastern Seaboard of the United States_

The fleet of ships moved into position in orbit around Earth. Their launch bay doors opened releasing fighter and landing craft. Earth would soon be under their control. The first of their attack craft reached lower atmosphere and began their approach. They were met by a wave of fighter jets.

Hal tried to raise the approaching craft over several different frequencies, "Unidentified aircraft you are in United States air space. State your intentions." No response. "Unidentified ai.." he was cut off and began evasive maneuvers as the alien craft opened fire. Their intent had been made clear, and Hal's squadron responded in kind.

Quick chatter came over the comms.

"Watch your six!"

"I got your wing."

"Almost had him!"

"What are these things!?"

Hal tried to keep his breathing as calm as someone could flying at high speeds, against the force of gravity, and with as much evasion as he could muster. The dog fight had taken him back over land and he was finally able to get the drop on one of the invaders and lock a missile on his exhaust. A fireball marked the first victory of the day, but there was no time for celebration. One alien invader was down, only thousands more to go. An alarm inside his cockpit started to sound. A missile had locked on to him. He ejected just in time. His jet burst into flames and crashed into the countryside below. His parachute opened, beginning his slow descent to the ground. Fortunately, the enemy had no interest in him once his ability to fight was gone. Jets and alien craft continued to maneuver around each other. Hal wasn't the only one hanging below a parachute, but the aliens had marks against them too.

Hal landed safely and unbuckled himself from canopy that had saved his life. He looked up and waved down a passing car. "I need a lift."

The driver took one look at his military uniform and the parachute left on the ground behind him, "Hop in."

 _United States Western Seaboard_

Supergirl was flying from one location to another; punching alien ships causing them to crash and burn, using heat vision to melt them in the sky, and rescuing pilots who had ejected from burning aircraft. She zoomed down to prevent debris from landing on pedestrians who were watching the skies above with shock at the spectacle, and cheering on the men and woman who were in the heat of battle. Supergirl failed to notice a larger alien craft land. Its doors opened and armored vehicles and alien soldiers came out. _"J'onn, they have boots on the ground."_

" _Copy that. I have some at my location as well. Keep fighting, Kara."_

" _Wasn't planning on stopping."_

 _Gotham City_

Batman landed a punch on the nearest alien, and directed a kick at another. Nightwing took his nightsticks to wherever on their bodies he could land a blow. Robin and Batgirl were dodging blasts from alien weapons and throwing batarangs to disarm the invaders. A motorcycle sped up to their location and the rider leveled a crossbow at another alien and released the bolt. Her purple cape was blowing behind her as she hopped off and removed her helmet revealing a purple mask with its sides rising up forming two distinct points on either side of her head.

"Starting the party without me?"

Batman rallied them around him with their momentary battle a first victory. "Huntress, take Nightwing and cover Gotham East. Robin, you and Batgirl take the financial district. I'll maintain the Northern sector." Nightwing hopped on the back of Huntress's motorcycle and they sped off to their designated sector. Robin and Batgirl commandeered a parked vehicle and hotwired it to provide their own transportation. Batman spoke again, "Oracle, update."

"It's a planet wide invasion. Major cities across the world have alien armies in them. Every air force in the world is in the sky, and every aircraft carrier has empty decks. Supergirl and Superman are both contributing what they can, but we are all getting overloaded. In other news, it appears your usual consortium of bad guys is actually being somewhat helpful for a change. Two Face, Penguin, Black Mask; all of them have organized their gangs to fight. There are reports of Croc and Bane adding their muscle to the mix, too."

"I'll keep it in mind when this over. Maybe I won't hit them as hard as usual."

"I contacted Selina. She should be en route to your location."

Batman turned at the sound of a cry of pain. An alien who had recovered consciousness had been attempting to shoot him in the back. That plan was abruptly and painfully changed when a woman dressed in black had broken his arm. She lifted the tinted goggles from her eyes and placed them on her head, which gave the appearance of cat ears. "Catwoman is here. We'll maintain this sector."

 _The Pentagon, Virginia, United States_

General Sam Lane was making the best of the organized chaos in the Pentagon War Room. A bunker deep under the headquarters building for the United States military was bristling with activity. TV screens had national and international news showing the panic and destruction being caused by the invaders, computer monitors displayed positions of troop movements, and every phone was pressed to someone's face to relay orders and information as they became available. Currently, General Lane was in the middle of a video conference with the President of the United States. "Madame President, we have mobilized every military unit at our disposal. It's time to pull out all the stops."

The dark haired woman answered from her own bunker beneath the White House, "General, I will not launch nuclear weapons on populated areas. That would be more defeat than any Pyrrhic Victory. And what would it accomplish? The aliens are still landing. We don't know how many more are coming; and I will not relegate the innocent people of this country to the role of victims. Many of them are fighting back right alongside military and police."

"If aliens insist on attacking Earth, then we can at least use a machine built for this specific purpose—to fight aliens!"

The President paused for only a moment to think. What other course of action was there? She nodded, "You have authorization." The conversation had ended.

General Lane turned to an assistant, "Activate Project Morrow."

 _The Virginia Countryside, United States_

The car was at a dead halt. The road was jammed with vehicles; all people were attempting to make it to wherever they thought a safe haven from the invaders would be. Hal Jordan knew they weren't going anywhere. He turned to the driver who had picked him up after he had ejected from his jet. "Thanks for getting me this far. It'd be better if we both just went on foot from here. Get somewhere safe."

"You got it man. You getting back in the sky to fight those things?"

"Something like that."

"Good luck."

Hal exited the vehicle still in his flight suit and took off at a jogging pace. Sights and sounds of the air battle continued overhead. Sweat poured over his body from the physical exertion of the day. Explosions rocked the neighborhood as air craft were shot out of the sky and crashed to the ground. Houses were on fire. Emergency crews were doing their best, but they were quickly running out of supplies and energy to keep going. Still, no one was even thinking of surrender. It took him almost an hour from the time his parachute landed him on the ground to reach his house. Thankfully, the fires hadn't spread this far yet. He rushed into his bedroom and pushed against a wall. A slight click sounded, and the wall slid back revealing a hidden panel. On a shelf sat a ring and a lantern. He thought peace had been established, they all had. They were all wrong. He picked up the ring and suddenly heard a voice in his head.

" _Hal Jordan, you are needed."_

" _No kidding. You're a little late with the message."_

Hal ended the conversation and placed the ring on his finger. These aliens messed with the wrong planet, and had shot down the wrong pilot. He pressed the ring into the lantern.

"In brightest day, in blackest night; no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power…" Hal's eyes ignited into a glowing emerald shine. His body was instantly imbued with energy and power, the fatigue from the day was gone. In its place was the power of Hal's will. His flight suit disappeared and was replaced with a new uniform. White gloves were pulled over his hands and up his arms to almost his elbows. Green boots were on his feet, and a green mask covered his nose and eyes. The material covering his legs and arms was black, his torso was green, and in the middle of his chest was the symbol of the galactic peacekeepers he represented. "…Green Lantern's Light!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 _California, United States_

Supergirl caught an alien fighter craft in mid air, and threw it into another one. The combined explosion was fiery and loud. She was hit out of the sky as starfighter blasters impacted her from behind. She picked herself off the ground and looked up as the alien craft lined up to finish the job it started. Her eyes glowed blue and the laser like heat vision erupting from her eyes hit the attacking craft dead center. Its shields held for just a second before giving way to the onslaught and allowing her attack to return the favor she had just received. One more alien bad guy was down for the count.

Winn's voice came over her comm, "Supergirl, we have a lot of alien landing craft making a home in the desert. They're offloading an army."

"Are there any people or cities in that vicinity?"

"From what I can tell, just an old abandoned Army research base."

"Might be a good place for me to actually let loose and kick them back where they came from. Give me the coordinates."

Winn relayed the location and Supergirl raced just slow enough to not cause sonic booms to add to the destruction the aliens were already causing.

 _The Pentagon, Virginia, United States_

General Lane turned to an assistant, "Activate Project Morrow."

The assistant picked up a phone and placed a call to a remote research lab in the California Desert. "Activate Project Morrow…this isn't a time for schedules!...Programming!? Can it fight!?...Then we'll use it. Just keep tabs on it and after everything is done you can pick up where you left off." He hung up the phone and looked back at General Lane, who returned the look after hearing just one side of the conversation. The assistant nodded, "It's activated."

 _California Desert, United States_

Supergirl arrived at the alien's staging point and immediately received enemy fire from small arms, as well as the alien artillery and tanks. The small arms did little to hurt or hinder her, but the larger blasts from the artillery and tank cannons could move her out of the sky if they connected with her. Some did, but she was just as quick to get back up and do whatever damage she felt like doing. She was getting worn out. She had super stamina, sure; but she couldn't go nonstop forever. Her super hearing suddenly picked up a new sound. She looked around and saw the desert sand a hundred yards away suddenly disappear as a hidden door started to open.

"Winn, I thought you said this place was abandoned."

"It is…was...well, that's what the intel says."

"You may want to update that intel."

The aliens had seen the same thing as Supergirl. A few began a curious but cautious advance toward what was now a hole in the middle of the desert floor. Supergirl took advantage of the momentary distraction to decommission a few more tanks and landing craft. Suddenly, a giant gust of wind picked up from nowhere. Her hair and her cape were both blown straight back. The aliens that had approached the open door were blown backwards. Sand blew in Supergirl's eyes. Though it didn't harm her it did momentarily blind her. She didn't see what came out of the hole. The wind picked up in ferocity and intensity. Aliens were blown off their feet, landing craft which were in the air crashed to the ground, tanks were toppled. Supergirl had to use her X-Ray vision to see through the sandstorm. When she saw what was causing the sudden desert tempest her mouth opened in surprise.

"Winn! It's Doctor Morrow's robot!"

"Red Tornado!? Morrow's dead, and I thought you destroyed that robot."

"Me too…I did…but it's here."

"You may want to update your definition of destroy."

What Supergirl saw was a red robot build to look like a man. Dr. Morrow had built this robot for the Army with the purpose of defeating aliens. When the robot had gone rogue and started attacking National City, Supergirl had been able to defeat it and destroy it. The Red Tornado robot was so named because of its ability to form tornadoes. Supergirl's adopted sister, Alex Danvers, had taken on Dr. Morrow and killed him. There was no way this robot should be here, but it was; and at least the aliens it was fighting this time deserved to be fought. Supergirl decided not to take this minute for granted. The alien army which had thought it was landing in a safe zone to launch an attack was now out of commission. The wind and miniature tornadoes formed by the robot came to a stop. Supergirl approached Red Tornado.

"What are you doing here?"

The robot turned and looked at her. Its face was metal, it was a machine, it could not display emotion. "I have been instructed to fight the invading army of aliens."

"And what happens after they're gone?"

"Programming not found," the robot replied.

"Did General Lane send you?"

"Information classified."

"Fine, but if you make one wrong move I'll tear your arms off just like last time."

"Last time? To what last time are you referring?"

"Ya know what, we can play catch up later. For now, let's call a truce and fight the common enemy."

"Acceptable."

"Glad you agree. Winn, we have a new player on the board. Where to next?"

 _Eastern United States_

Superman was just as busy as his cousin. He also was starting to feel the fatigue of a day long battle. His and Kara's energy, though nearly incalculable, wasn't infinite. They still needed to recharge from time to time. He knew Supergirl must be feeling the same way. He took just a few seconds to look up into the dusking sky. He needed the radiation from the sun to recharge. It wasn't as if the sun was disappearing completely. The Earth was just completing its daily spin and his side of the planet was starting to turn away from his and Supergirl's source of super powers. Suddenly, he was blasted backwards. An alien tank had taken advantage of Superman's momentary distraction to fire a blast into him. He picked himself up and was about to give the tank a taste of its own medicine. He paused in surprise when he didn't get the chance. The tank was flattened by a giant green sledge hammer made out of what appeared to be nothing but green light. He looked higher up to see the source of the odd sight. A man in a black and green costume had the light forming the hammer coming from a ring on one of his fingers.

"Need a hand?" The newcomer asked Superman.

"I won't complain as long as you keep pounding alien tanks with that hammer. Who are you?"

"For now, just call me Green Lantern. You must be Superman. Hang tight and keep fighting. Help is on the way." Green Lantern and Superman flew together to the next site of gathering invaders.

Superman looked skyward again and used his super telescopic vision to see into space. He stopped flying and froze in mid air with what he saw. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" Green Lantern asked.

The aliens had decided to step up their attack. If Earth wouldn't surrender to an invasion force, maybe it would surrender to a bombarding force. Alien ships which held orbit had just been troop carriers. The ships the troop carriers made room for were gargantuan. They slowly came to halt in Earth orbit. Suddenly, every nation on the planet heard a loud broadcast in their native languages. "Citizens and armies of Earth, we are the Kanar. You have experienced a small measure of our might with our initial invasion force. Surrender now. If you do not, we will begin planetary bombardment and turn your cities into slag. We give two of your Earth minutes for your leaders to contact us with their decision."

"Who do these people think they are?" Superman asked angrily.

"The Kanar." Green Lantern replied, "hundreds of years ago they started a rampage against the rest of the galaxy, invading and conquering entire systems. They will make good on their threat. They'd prefer to just enslave everyone and use the workforce to harvest Earth's resources; but they'll just as easily use the cannons and batteries on their battleships to flatten us instead."

"I hope that help you promised gets here fast." Superman reached out to the telepathic link J'onn had established between the super heroes. _Kara_

 _I heard it. What's the game plan?_

 _The battleship in orbit closest to Earth, let's see what damage we can do to it._

 _Meet you there cuz._

Superman turned to Green Lantern, "Supergirl and I are going to try and slow them down. Care to come along?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the galaxy."

Two blurs of red and blue, and one of emerald energy, sped from the surface of the North American continent and targeted the mammoth ship which stood ready to destroy their home. Not on their watch. Not if they could help it. Superman and Supergirl flew faster than they normally would through the atmosphere. Their heat vision paved the way as they flew with all their strength and speed into the hull of the giant ship. They couldn't breathe in space. They had both taken deep breaths before launching their attack. They didn't slow down. They rocketed through every bulkhead as they collided with one side of the ship and flew out the other side. The ship was starting to list as the internal damage caused by the Kryptonians took effect. Now there was another problem. The ship might not fire weapons at Earth, but unless it was able to regain control it would crash.

Green Lantern extended his right arm and from his power ring a giant green hand emerged. It started to push against the damaged alien ship, trying to nudge it in any direction except down. Superman and Supergirl stopped their damage and destroy mission and joined in the effort, pushing with all their strength to keep the ship from entering the atmosphere. Small fighter craft approached in an attempt to pick off the attackers, but from Green Lantern's ring a shield emerged protecting Superman and Supergirl. The green hand took just a second to stop pushing the ship and swatted the fighter craft like flies before resuming its attempt at keeping the ship from crashing. With the combined strength and effort of all three, the ship was pushed away from Earth's orbit. Green Lantern extended the green light surrounding his body to encompass the Kryptonians. Superman and Supergirl weren't sure how it provided a breathable atmosphere, but they would accept the brief break to breathe.

Supergirl looked at Green Lantern but addressed Superman, "Make a new friend, cuz?"

Green Lantern extended his hand, "Green Lantern." Supergirl returned the handshake. "As I've told your cousin here," Green Lantern continued, "help is on the way. We just have to hold out."

"You have an ETA on that help?"

Suddenly, more ships emerged from hyperspace; but they were of a far different design than the attackers.

Green Lantern smiled as he replied to her question, "I'd say right about now. You two get back to the ground game. Let us handle the fight up here."

Supergirl looked from the new arrivals to the man she had just met, "And who exactly is 'us'?"

From the ships, Supergirl saw beings emerge wrapped in the same emerald light she was currently floating in. Her new ally responded to her question, "We," he turned and looked at her, "are the Green Lantern Corps."

The fighting in space and on Earth continued, but slowly the aliens realized they were fighting a losing battle. Ships escaped into hyperspace as soon as they had an opening. Ground forces began surrendering. Finally, apart from small skirmishes around the globe, the battle was finally ended; Earth had survived.

 _Four Months Later, National City Harbor_

The night was calm as Supergil landed. The moon was full, and waves lightly lapped against ships at moor, and against the docks. She took a brief look around and spotted the man who had extended the invitation for them to meet here.

"Glad you could make it," Nightwing greeted her.

"Well, I'm here. What's this about?"

"You still curious how not just an international kidnapping ring, but also an alien invasion could be stopped?"

"That would be the Green Lanterns."

"Sure, things would have been messy without them; but how much of an advance did the aliens actually make on Earth before having to resort to threatening to kill everyone from space?"

"Ok, you got me. How?"

"Allow me to help with the explanation."

Supergirl turned in surprise at the sound of a woman's voice. She looked up and was even more surprised to see the woman who owned that voice, flying and drifting lightly down to the dock where Supergirl stood. The woman was dressed completely in purple from neck to boots. Her hair was long and possibly the deepest red Supergirl had ever seen. It was her skin, however, that stood out to Supergirl. It was orange.

Supergirl's super senses detected something strange about the water; a moment before it had been calmly rocking ships, but now it was forming waves. She faced the harbor and prepared for an attack. Nightwing waved her down with a smile. Deciding to trust her new friend and ally she straightened and watched as the waves grew larger. Suddenly, a man leapt from the waves and landed on the dock. The newcomer had short black hair; and wore a costume which was completely red except for a collar, boots, and gloves which were all black.

Nightwing approached the trio, "Supergirl, I'd like you to meet a couple of my friends." He pointed to the orange skinned woman, "This is Koriand'r, from the planet Tamaran; and this," he pointed to the man who had emerged from the deep water of National City's harbor like a marine mammal breaching to the surface, "is Garth of Atlantis." Nightwing paused and smiled, "of course, they're both better known to the world as Starfire and Tempest." He looked Supergirl in the eyes, "We'd like you to join our team."

 _The Batcave, Gotham City_

Batman sat in a chair facing his guests. Superman and Martian Manhunter had agreed to Batman's invitation, and to the topic they were about to discuss. It had been a long four months since the invasion and attempted destruction of Earth. It would take even longer for a full recovery. Batman began the conversation, "So it's settled. We need to reform the team."

Superman spoke next, "Earth was nearly destroyed. We were able to hold our own against the ground forces, but if a space armada ever shows up again we're going to need some better coordination."

"Agreed," Martian Manhunter added his voice to the conversation, "the larger question though, is who?"

Batman turned his chair back towards the large computer, and pushed a button on the keyboard, "I've started a list. We just need to agree on who makes the final cut."

On the screen before them were pictures and videos of various beings from around the world who had fought against the aliens. Green Lantern was seen, as was a man in a gray suit with red gloves and boots with the picture of a red colored atom on his chest. A woman using a golden lasso, and using wrist guards to deflect weapon blasts, was the next to appear. Two other women were seen; one dressed in blue and white, and whose hair was silver in color, was holding out her hands to blast attackers with arctic waves of ice and snow. The other woman accompanying her had green hair, and a green costume; but that quickly disappeared as she erupted into green flame and took flight to battle the invaders with her pyrotechnic powers. Another man was dressed in red, with yellow boots and a gold fringed white cape, and a yellow lightning bolt across his chest. He picked up alien tanks and threw them with what appeared no effort, and then took flight to battle in the sky.

Batman spoke again, "Nightwing is already talking with Supergirl and introducing her to Tempest and Starfire."

Pictures and videos continued to flash across the screen showing new heroes, or new footage of those previously seen. Superman turned to address a new arrival to the cave. "What do you think, Alfred?"

Alfred placed a tray of drinks and snacks for the guests on a small table, "If aliens are intent on attacking a peaceful planet, I think it would behoove us to let the galaxy know Earth has a league of its own."

 _Elsewhere in Gotham City_

A woman sat in a wheelchair monitoring computer screens in front of her. "What's it looking like out there, Robin?"

His voice came over the communication network, "Quiet. Again. It's like all the criminals decided to take a four month vacation."

"Let's enjoy it while it lasts."

"I'm going to take a final look around and then call it a night."

"Copy that. Oracle out."

The woman known as Oracle turned her wheelchair around to face the other occupant of the room. Batgirl had taken a rare night off from patrol. Oracle had told her she needed to go out and act like a normal person every once in awhile. "On your way out?"

"Yes, my dad is picking me up in a few minutes."

"I can keep watch here."

"Cassandra, normal person tonight; remember?"

The chime of a doorbell rang. Oracle wheeled her chair to an elevator for a quick descent to the lobby. She made her way to the door and opened it for her dad, Police Commissioner James Gordon. "All set, Babs?"

"Lead the way, dad." Her red hair fluttered in the light night breeze as she made her way over to her dad's parked vehicle. She looked up into the night sky. For now, they were safe; but how long would that last?"

 _There are those who prey on the weak. They stalk the night ready to do violence against the innocent._

Batman sat in the cave and continued to look at his screen. Robin resumed his patrol, rushing from one rooftop to the next. Nightwing continued discussion with Supergirl, Tempest, and Starfire. Cassandra Cain stepped outside the building, as alert now as she would be as Batgirl. Barbara Gordon, Oracle, enjoyed a nice talk with her dad as they exchanged laughter at the recollection of different memories.

 _Fortunately for the innocent, there are those who stand ready to do violence against the stalker. Some call them sheep dogs. Some refer to them as simply protectors. They stand in the shadow_ , _out of the spotlight and often unnoticed until they are needed. In this modern age they do not wear shining armor and charge into battle on a faithful steed. Nevertheless, they remain what they are—Knights._

James Olsen patrolled the streets of National City. Similar to Gotham, crime seemed to be on a rare vacation. Part of that was due to the shock and recovery of an alien invasion. Part of it was due to the vigilance of men and women who made it their duty to keep the city safe. Of course, nobody who looked at him would realize he was James Olsen, CEO of CatCo. Tonight he stood watch in a special armored suit designed for him by Winn. He wasn't super human; he was just a man who had trained himself to the peak of human ability.

Hal Jordan floated in space, looking down on Earth. The Corps had let down their vigilance, becoming complacent. That wouldn't happen again, not if he could help it. They had lost several of their own in the battle to defend Earth. The Power Rings of the fallen had found new caretakers to become new Green Lanterns. They would need training. He looked up from viewing his home planet and turned his attention toward the countless stars. Earth, for the moment, was at peace; but he had more than just Earth to protect. He summoned his will power and the energy of the ring, and flew at interstellar speed away from his home.

 _Peace is kept through vigilance. Evil waits for the opportune moment when vigilance slips. When apathy becomes the normal outlook, enemies of good will strike. To keep the vigilance is a task both daunting and exhausting; but there are those who rise to the challenge._

James spoke into his communicator, "Winn, I'm coming home. All's well."

Hal Jordan would return, but he needed to let the rest of the galaxy know Green Lantern of Sector 2814 was back on the job.

 _When evil rises, it will be met by the vigilant. It will be met—by Guardians._

 **Knights and Guardians**

 **The End**


End file.
